There is a fine line between being upfront with the Australian cricket public and breaking it to them gently that their captain, and the team’s most valuable asset, may not make it through this summer’s blockbuster Ashes series.

That was the tightrope head coach Andrew McDonald walked on Wednesday morning during his regular SEN Radio slot with Gerard Whateley.

Whateley probed McDonald about what is becoming the most talked-about body part in Australian sport: Pat Cummins’ troublesome back.

“The worry is the captain, Pat Cummins, and his physical state,” Whateley began. “How fretful should we be, Andrew?”

“I mean, we’re confident that he’s going to partake in the Ashes,” McDonald replied.

With that short sentence, 66 days out from the opening delivery, McDonald all but confirmed Australia’s captain won’t play in all five Tests against England.

Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins.Credit: Getty Images for Cricket Australia

Cummins, the heart and soul of the team for so many years, will find it difficult to back up for five gruelling matches across Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney given the medical information at hand, McDonald........

© The Sydney Morning Herald