Pat Cummins Targets Imminent Ashes Return, Australia Captain Starts Bowling In Nets Ahead of Perth Opener

The much-anticipated Ashes opener in Perth is just a few days away. Anticipation has been quite high, and Australia will seek to retain the coveted Ashes when they host England at the Optus Stadium starting from November 21.

Pat Cummins Starts Bowling In Nets

Australia have been handed a huge boost as Pat Cummins has started bowling in the nets. The Australian captain hasn't bowled a single delivery since sustaining a lower-back injury against West Indies in July. The 32-year-old has already been ruled out of the first Test and Steve Smith has been handed the mantle for the opening match.

The second Test will take place at the iconic Gabba from December 4 and Cummins will eye a return in that match. The third Test match will start in Adelaide on December 17. Cummins bowled a five-step up run-up in Sydney in order to accelerate his injury process. Scott Boland is destined to take his place in the first Test match in England.

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald was optimistic when he was asked about Cummins' injury. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he told reporters, “We've run out of time. We sort of flagged this a week or so ago that it would take sort of four plus weeks to get him up and running, and we've run out of time, unfortunately, but really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match."

Steve Smith Scored A Hundred For New South Wales

On the other side, Steve Smith warmed up in style for the Ashes with a fine hundred for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. Smith racked up a sensational 118 runs in 176 balls, his first hundred in red-ball cricket since the West Indies tour.

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Steve Smith has led Australia on six occasions since 2021, and he averages 49.90 in Test cricket, but it shoots up to 68.98 whenever he leads the side. The stand-in captain is in his own league and has amassed more than 3,400 runs against England with an average of impressive 56.01 in Ashes cricket.

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