Pat Cummins out of the Perth Test and possibly the whole Ashes series? It's Australia's worst nightmare, and England's dream.

Back in June, England’s team director Rob Key lamented how Australia have invariably been able to keep their key fast bowlers fit for major assignments, especially the Ashes.

“I always find it slightly frustrating how they managed to keep those bowlers fit for almost everything,” Key said. “That’s the dream, isn’t it? [Pat] Cummins, [Mitch] Starc, [Josh] Hazlewood, with the era that they’ve had, it’s been a lot because of those guys.

“That’s the holy grail, really, being able to keep your best bowlers fit like that for as long as possible.”

Cummins’ back stress problem , which began in the Caribbean in early July, has emerged like a nasty toothache for Australi

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