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Josh Hazlewood has been cleared to link up with the Aussie lineup ahead of the opening Ashes match following fitness concerns, although compatriot Sean Abbott will miss the match
Each encountered muscle problems playing for NSW against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday
Scans showed Hazlewood, 34 did not sustain tissue injury. The 33-year-old Abbott, yet to debut, suffered a significant hamstring issue
Team captain Cummins will miss the initial match, starting November 21, so the loss of another established pace bowler in Hazlewood would have been a major blow
The bowler stood not expected to participate during the Western Australia Test, while Hazlewood will combine Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as the specialist seamers
The captain, rehabilitating from a back injury, appears to be scheduled to reappear for the second Test beginning December 4 in Brisbane
Batter Steve Smith will lead Australia while Cummins is out
Like many of Australian cricketers, the bowler took part in the current round of domestic cricket in preparation for the Ashes
Until this match, he had not played domestic first-class games representing NSW for over twelve months
He experienced stiffness in his leg muscle towards the end of the match recently and was substituted for safety reasons
The two bowlers batted in the follow-on innings during their defeat in a substantial margin
"We have one week until the Test matches - we consistently choose being cautious," commented Cummins
"They wanted to find out the nature of the problem ahead of risking that could worsen the condition"
"He seldom shows him chipper, making it encouraging observing his positive demeanor"
"He's aware of his condition extremely well. It seemed he felt a little bit worried (and desired it checked out"
The bowler collected 57 international selections for Australia in limited-overs formats
The yet-to-debut the pace bowler represents additional pace options among the selections, offering support to the primary fast bowlers
