Canberra, Sept. 2 -- Australia captain Pat Cummins has faced a massive setback as his Ashes preparations have been compromised after a scan revealed lumbar bone stress in his lower back, which has left him on the sidelines for the three white-ball series against New Zealand and India.

Following the recent whammy, Cummins won't captain the Baggy Greens in a series that will feature batting stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are returning after their Test retirements, in three ODIs starting on October 19.

Australia's Test and ODI skipper Cummins hasn't played a single game since competing in the three Tests in the Caribbean, where his bowling rate was significantly lower than usual. He sat out of the five T20Is against the West Indie...