It’s hard to overplay what a huge blow it would be to Australia if Pat Cummins misses some or all of the Ashes, similar to England being without Ben Stokes.
Cummins leads from the front in every sense. It was the skipper who got Australia over the line in the thrilling first Test at Edgbaston in 2023, when England seemed on course for victory.
From a captaincy point of view, Steve Smith stepping up to lead would not be a problem – he is arguably a better tactician than Cummins. Scott Boland waits as the reserve seamer and has a prolific record in Australia, but Cummins is one of the premier fast bowlers in the world.
Indeed, the topic of fast bowling will dominate the build-up to the series. England have named their most hostile group of pace bowlers to tour Australia since 1970 and will keep everything crossed that the bowlers can arrive fit and firing. Australia are now sweating over Cummins.
If Cummins is out, Australia’s resources are suddenly looking thin. Josh Hazlewood has his own recent fitness problems and the rapid Lance Morris is out for a year. The uncapped Brendan Doggett would possibly be in line for a call-up, while the likes of Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott could come into contention.
It is worth remembering England have their own doubts over Stokes, who has not completed any of their past four series.
It could be that the eventual destination of the urn is decided by which captain makes it on to the field most often.
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