Injured Australian captain Pat Cummins has made an early arrival to Perth ahead of the start of The Ashes as anticipation continues to build for the blockbuster series.

Cummins, who will not play the first Test as he continues his recovery from a flare-up of bone stress in his back, touched down at Perth Airport just after midday alongside a Cricket Australia staffer and was greeted by modest fanfare.

Sporting a casual look that did not include any CA-issued gear apart from his baggage, the legendary fast bowler was largely left on his own as he waited for his bags to come off the carousel, save for one brief chat with a fan.

He arrived solo from his Sydney flight, with some of the home squad arriving later in the day ahead of the start of the series at Optus Stadium on Friday.

Some of Australia’s side began to filter through the arrivals lounge in the hours after Cummins’ arrival, with Scott Boland — set to deputise for the captain with the ball in at least the first Test — and all-rounder Beau Webster the first players to arrive, coming with coach Andrew McDonald from Melbourne.

As the players and support staff loaded their cricket gear onto trolleys, McDonald took on the responsibility of carting around three golf bags, suggesting the team may find some time to play a round between now and Friday.

Australia’s Ashes opponents England gradually assembled in Perth earlier this month and will shift their camp from Lilac Hill in Perth’s eastern suburbs to Optus Stadium in the coming days.

Last year, the State Government agreed a three-year deal with CA which guaranteed Perth hosting rights to the first Test of the summer.

Friday is slated to see a sellout crowd descend on Optus Stadium for a Test match for the very first time, with no tickets remaining for either of the first two days of the contest.

If the venue is at capacity on both Friday and Saturday, WA’s all-time Test match attendance record of 103,440 — set in the Ashes Test at the WACA Ground in 2006 — will be broken.

Optus Stadium will be hosting an Ashes Test match for the first time, with the 2021 game which was slated to be played in WA moved to Tasmania amid WA’s COVID-19 border restrictions.

Cummins has made a gradual return to bowling over recent weeks, completing a session at around 90 per cent of his top pace at the SCG on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, he said he remained hopeful of returning for the second Test of the series in Brisbane, which starts on December 4.

“It’s probably not until you get a bit closer that you can really know where you’re at,” Cummins said at Channel Seven’s summer of cricket launch.

“The good thing is that I’m pulling up well and the body is great.

“We’re trying to keep that second Test as a live option. I’ll have a really good bowl in Perth, and by then I’ll know where I’m at.”

Australia’s bowling stocks suffered another huge blow on Saturday, when CA confirmed Josh Hazlewood had been ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring strain suffered playing for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield.

Initial scans had cleared Hazlewood of injury but follow-up imaging revealed the issue that will sideline the injury-prone quick — who has missed 12 of 29 home Tests since the start of the 2019/20 season — for the start of the series.

Cummins was not named in a 15-player squad for the Perth Test which has now seen two fast bowlers ruled out, with Hazlewood joining New South Wales teammate Sean Abbott — who suffered what CA termed a “moderate grade hamstring injury” playing in the same game — on the sidelines.

Hazlewood’s setback is set to see South Australia seamer Brendan Doggett receive a baggy green in Perth and Queensland veteran Michael Neser has been called into Australia’s squad.