Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has provided an important update on the fitness of captain Pat Cummins ahead of the opening Ashes Test, expressing optimism despite the fast bowler’s ongoing injury concerns. Cummins, who has not bowled since Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July, is currently recovering from a stress injury in his back. Recent scans revealed that the injury has not fully healed, casting some doubt over his availability for the first Ashes Test. The head coach admitted time is running out for Cummins to prove his fitness ahead of next month’s Ashes opener.

"My view would be four, four-and-a-half weeks. Myself and Patty have spoken about that type of timeframe. Or else you start to bring in other risk factors - a) you're not skill ready, b) soft tissue injuries then become a real risk," McDonald said, as reported by Cricket.com.au

"And if you were to do a soft tissue injury early in a series like the Ashes, then it's a long way back from where he's been. So we'll be mindful of all those risk factors."

McDonald added that a decision on Cummins’ availability in the first Ashes Test against England would be made in the coming weeks.

"It's a big couple of weeks, we've added some variables into his training in the last couple of weeks and had a positive result there," he said.

"There's some positive signs speaking to Patty over the last few days. He's a lot more optimistic. Those who have been through this type of injury (say) these things ebb and flow. A couple of weeks ago, did he think he was a chance (to play in Perth)? Potentially not, he was a little bit sore. Then you flip it forward two weeks and there's a lot more positivity. We've still got a little bit to go.

"One of the benefits with Patty is that he has had the ability to prepare for Test matches off shortened preparations. So if it was to be shrunken down, we'd be very confident that he would still be able to perform in the first Test.

"But the reality is, we're starting to get tight in terms of the times. We're still optimistic, hopeful, but this time next week, I think we'll be in a position to get better gauge on where he's at."