The Ashes: Pat Cummins expected to start the series, but rotation on the cards for Australian quicks

Australia expects Pat Cummins to be fit for the first Test of the blockbuster Ashes series in Perth and would back him in to bowl even if he doesn’t play a game before it.

Cummins was ruled out of Australia’s white-ball series against New Zealand and India in coming months in a bid to get him right to captain the Test team through the home Ashes.

The Test skipper was left out of the T20 squad announced on Tuesday, which also does not include Mitchell Starc, who has retired from the format at the international level to focus on his red-ball future and next year’s one-day World Cup.

The injury blow means Australia’s trio of ironmen quicks will have to strain harder than ever to make it through the entire five-match series and rotation of the pace-bowling battery now looms large.

But national selection chair Georgie Bailey has “full expectations” Cummins will start the series.

“In terms of planning for the Ashes, I don’t think too much will change,” Bailey said.

“It still feels like there is plenty of time. On the back of the scan, there will just be continued rehab and monitoring around that, but full expectations Pat will be right to go for the first Test.”

There are four Sheffield Shield matches between the first week of October and the West Test from November 21. Bailey said one-day cricket loomed as another option to work Cummins back to match fitness, but backed him to hit the Ashes fresh.

“Certainly skill-wise, he has entered summers at different stages without a great amount of match balls. At different times, he’s used one-day cricket to build up,” he said.

“Just given how far out we are there is the potential for some shield cricket in the lead-up. There are still options there.

“If it got to the stage where they were taken off the table, I still think we’d be comfortable with Pat’s experience at skill level and the ability.

“This probably slows him down in terms of when he will start bowling again, but in terms of the gym work and getting on top of a lot of those other physical things … I’m pretty confident that will work out.”

Bailey said it was a “hats-off” to the three quicks when they are able to motor through an entire home summer, like they did against India last season, but confirmed rotation was always part of their planning.

“I think that’s always part of our planning across the summer that you may need to go deeper than the first-choice three or four.

Perennial back-up Scott Boland would be at the front of the queue regardless of which of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood sat out, while shield champion Brendon Doggett, veteran Sean Abbott and swing sensation Xavier Bartlett would also likely come into the frame.

One quick who is still pushing to be in the mix for the Ashes is West Australian Jhye Richardson, who cut his season short last year to have shoulder surgery.

That procedure has been a success and while its highly unlikely Richardson will be fit for the start of the Ashes, Bailey said he is hopeful the tearaway will be available late in the series.

“All the updates have continued to be really positive with Jhye.

“He’s another one where that may shift slightly. He has only just recently started returning to the bowling crease and it’s at very low levels at the moment, but the reports we’re getting are all positive.

“It’s not definitive on when or what that might look like, but all things being equal, if he can continue to progress the way he has that would be a nice addition at some point across the summer.”

Marcus Stoinis earned a surprise recall to the T20 side to play three matches in New Zealand between October 1 and 4, while Matt Short returns from a side strain and Mitch Owen from concussion.

WA all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been left on the outer again.

Starc is Australia’s most prolific T20 fast bowler of all time with 79 wickets from 65 matches.

Meanwhile, England fast-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton has announced he is taking an indefinite break from red-ball cricket to focus on his T20 career.

The shock call comes despite Overton playing in the final match of England’s epic Test series against India. He was also tipped to be included in the squad for the Ashes.