Massive shock to Australia: Pat Cummins set to miss New Zealand series because of THIS reason

Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins will miss the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. Cricket Australia has decided to carefully manage his workload with the Ashes at home later this year.

The 32-year-old pacer has been dealing with mild back tightness since the Caribbean tour. As a precaution, he will undergo routine scans before returning to action.

Cummins already missed Australia’s recent white-ball series against the West Indies and South Africa. With a busy calendar ahead, selectors want him fully fit for the Ashes. According to CODE Sports, the management is taking no risks with their premier fast bowler.

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Eyes on the Ashes

Resting Cummins shows Australia’s clear intent: keep their skipper ready for the five-Test Ashes series in Perth later this year. While he skips the T20Is, Cummins is expected to feature in the ODI series against India in October. He could also play at least one Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales as part of his preparation.

Speaking on Thursday, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood revealed that Australia’s Test quicks will follow tailored training schedules.

“The Test guys will play more than one Shield game,” Hazlewood told reporters. “They’ll probably play two or three, but everyone’s on different programs. I used it last year and found it very beneficial – time on the field, multiple spells in a day, it’s hard to replicate at training.”

It felt like over the last 12 months the best way for me to go about it is just keep ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling. If I can just stay up there at match intensity as long as I can, that’s the best way forward.”

Australia’s Pace Concerns

Pat Cummins’ absence adds to Australia’s pace worries. Several fringe bowlers, including Lance Morris, Spencer Johnson, and Ben Dwarshuis, are sidelined with injuries. That leaves senior quicks Cummins, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland carrying the load ahead of the Ashes.

Cummins’ break comes after his brilliant run at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He became the first bowler in history to take back-to-back hat-tricks in T20 internationals, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. So far, he has claimed 66 wickets in 57 T20Is at an economy of 7.44.

Australia’s three-match T20I series against New Zealand begins on October 1, 2025. Cummins is expected to return later in the year with his eyes firmly set on the Ashes.