Overview

• Multiple Australian reports say Cummins will miss the Perth Test on November 21, with the possibility he could sit out the entire five-match Ashes.
• Cricket Australia has declined to comment publicly on his fitness, leaving no official timeline for a return.
• Steve Smith is widely expected to stand in as captain, with Scott Boland the leading candidate to join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
• Cummins has not bowled since mid-July in the West Indies and has been limited to gym and cycling work during rehabilitation.
• He has already missed white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand and will also sit out the upcoming ODIs and T20s against India, with some reports suggesting a potential December comeback at best.