Skipper Pat Cummins has poured cold water on Australia fielding four frontline fast bowlers during the Ashes series against England, saying it was "very unlikely" spinner Nathan Lyon will be overlooked.

Lyon was dropped for Australia's last test, against the West Indies in Jamaica, a pink-ball match they won inside three days.

Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc took 6-9 and Scott Boland claimed a hat-trick as the hosts crumbled to 27 all out.

It was the first time Lyon had not played a test in 12 years.

But Cummins, who is battling a back injury to be fit for the first Ashes test in Perth on 21 November, said it was a different scenario to the pitches that will greet Ben Stokes's England.

"I'd find it very unlikely that we would go away from Gaz (Lyon) at all this summer," he told the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday.

"Kingston was extreme – pink-ball conditions, long grass, an up-and-down wicket.

"I'd almost guarantee there won't be four quicks this summer, especially with a couple of allrounders in the team as well," he added.

"You probably need to look at the pitch and basically think it's going to be a terrible two-and-a-half-day or a three-day pitch. In Kingston, we didn't think the game was going to see a fourth day.

"Most games in Australia, even if it's green, you think it could get flat and you'll be wanting Gaz."

MILESTONE FOR LYON

Lyon generally thrives on home soil, where he has bagged 268 of his 562 test wickets at an average of 31.08.

Should he line up for his 140th test in Perth, as expected, he can surpass Glenn McGrath to become the sixth-highest wicket-taker in history by claiming two more scalps.

The big question for Australia remains the fitness of Cummins, who said last week he was "probably less likely than likely" to play the Ashes opener.

Should he bow out, Boland is expected to lead the assault alongside Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

England are bringing a pace-heavy attack for the five-test series, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood.

They have only one specialist spinner in Shoaib Bashir and Lyon has warned England they would be making a mistake if they do not play him.

"For me, you're picking a spinner in every side because the variation changes the tempo of the game," he said earlier this month.

Whether England opt for an all-pace attack in Perth remains to be seen, but selectors will be conscious that their spinners have frequently struggled in Australian conditions.

England batter Harry Brook has cautioned against underestimating Australia in the Ashes series, even as doubts linger over the availability of their captain and fast bowler, Pat Cummins, for the opener in Perth.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald conceded on Friday that Cummins is running out of time to be fit for the first test.

McDonald said Cummins had not yet been ruled out, however, adding that the 32-year-old probably needed to be back bowling at least four weeks before the opener to avoid further setbacks.

Losing Cummins for the first test alone would be a significant setback for Australia, given he has been ever-present since making his Ashes debut in the 2017-18 series. With Cummins fit and firing, Australia have never lost the urn since reclaiming it in 2017.

"He is an amazing bowler and has been for many years. He bowls at high pace with high skill," Brook told reporters at the Professional Cricketers' Association Awards.

"With him out of their side for the first game, from (the reports) we've seen, hopefully that plays into our hands.

"But they have a hell of a lot of good, quick bowlers out there. Guys who can come into the side, and when their tails are up, they can plough through teams. So, we can't take anybody lightly."

Brook, who replaced Ollie Pope as vice-captain in the England Ashes squad, said he expects their skipper Ben Stokes to play all of the five tests, despite the 34-year-old allrounder's ongoing recovery from a shoulder injury.

"Everybody in the world knows what he's like - his character and the way that he just cracks on," Brook said.

"That is the way the team is built now. Everybody keeps going. If you do have a little niggle, just power through - and that is what he does so well."

This year's Ashes begins in Perth on November 21, before a day-night match in Brisbane, the third test in Adelaide, and the traditional Melbourne and Sydney tests in December and January.