Oz coach not ruling Cummins out of Ashes opener yet

Australia is in a “tight” race to get injured captain Pat Cummins ready for the first Ashes Test in November, coach Andrew McDonald admitted on Friday, while insisting he was “still optimistic”.

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Pace spearhead Cummins has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test against the West Indies in July.

McDonald said there was “a lot more positivity” surrounding the skipper’s chances of playing in the opening Test match in Perth starting November 21.

“But the reality is, we're starting to get tight in terms of the times,” McDonald said.

“We're still optimistic, hopeful, but this time next week, I think we’ll be in a position to get a better gauge on where he’s at.”