Australia legend explains why hosts will be 'nervous' heading into Ashes following 'enormous loss'

Mike Hussey has admitted the 'enormous loss' of captain Pat Cummins will spark nerves in the Australian camp ahead of The Ashes. 

The Aussies head into the first Test on Friday in Perth with a weakened and ageing team. 

Steve Smith will captain the side in the absence of Cummings, who misses out through injury, while veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood is also an absentee with a hamstring problem.

Yet all the talk in the build up to the series has been about England and Joe Root. Brendon McCullum's side have not won the earn down under in almost 15 years while the Yorkshireman has been the subject of taunts over his failure to score a century on Aussie soil. 

But Hussey, who scored more than 6000 Test runs in green and gold, admits that Smith, Mitchell Starc and Co will have reservations ahead of the start of the series. 

'Australia will be nervous coming into the first test with no Pat Cummings,' the 50-year-old told said on The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show. 

'I did have a quick chat with Pat Cummins, and he said his body's feeling great, and he's steamed in off the long run.

'He looked really good, but he just hasn't played much at all really for the last six months. I think they'll be pushing hard for the second Test. If he's not quite got that sort of volume behind him, definitely solid for Adelaide in the third Test. 

'No Pat Cummins is a huge loss in the first test. He's the number one bowler, the captain of the team, and makes handy runs as well. 

'He's a calm influence around the group. That's an enormous loss, and I think the Aussies will be nervous coming into it because losing both him and Hazlwwood for the first Test is a big loss.'

Former Aussie quick Jason Gillespie however takes quite a different view. 

'There's a little window of opportunity potentially England will identify, not having Hazlewood of Cummins in Perth,' he told the BBC.  

'They might see that as a bit of a sniff of an opportunity, but I would say just beware.

'Scott Boland is a superb bowler, averages 12 in Australia. Brendan Doggett is in fine form and one of the quickest bowlers in Australia. England should be wary, in my opinion.' 

Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes named a 12-man squad for the first Test this morning including fast bowler Mark Wood, who picked up a hamstring injury last week.

However scans showed the 35-year-old suffered no lasting damage, meaning he will be able to feature in Perth.

Spin bowler Shoaib Bashir has also been included. England are expected to make a decision on their XI closer to the start of play later this week.