Australia has unveiled a 15-player squad for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide, with captain Pat Cummins returning to the side in a massive boost for the hosts.
Cummins, who has been battling lumbar back stress for several months, was a near-selection for last week’s day-night Test at the Gabba, with national selectors choosing to wrap the 32-year-old in cotton wool instead of gambling on a premature return.
But on Wednesday, Cricket Australia confirmed the skipper’s long-awaited comeback for the Adelaide Test, which commences on December 17. It’s the only change from the squad for the second Test in Brisbane.
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“We feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said of Cummins this week.
“He was well ahead of where we thought he’d be at and it did create a real live conversation for (Cummins playing in) Brisbane.
“It was debated a lot leading into that Test match. With that in mind, us seeing him further advanced, we feel he’ll be really well placed for the challenges of Adelaide albeit (it’s still) a long way off.
“We feel as though the simulation in the nets has got him skill ready. His body’s ready to go. Barring anything else happening in the next week, I’d be expecting Pat to be tossing the coin and putting the blazer on.”
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Cummins’ inclusion leaves fellow seamers Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett at risk of slipping out of the starting XI, with veteran spinner Nathan Lyon also guaranteed selection following his shock snub in the Queensland capital.
“The gap between (Tests) one and two and two and three was something we thought we could manage, so it will more than likely be the best balanced and available attack for Adelaide,” McDonald continued.
“So we wouldn’t be thinking that someone would need to rest there, it’s probably more so in Test matches four and five.
“Pat will be available and, in the squad, so that obviously creates a different balance to our attack.”
Later on Wednesday, CA announced that West Australian quick Jhye Richardson would join the Test squad in Adelaide as part of his return to play program, a potential hint he will be considered for selection later in the series.
The 29-year-old, who has played three Tests for Australia since his debut in 2019, is coming out of a ten-month rehabilitation period after undergoing shoulder surgery in January. The right-armed seamer represented the Cricket Australia XI and Australia A in recent tour matches against the English Lions, taking 4-35 during last week’s four-day contest in Brisbane.
“He will join the group in Adelaide to continue his preparations with the Australian coaching group and medical staff,” CA said in a statement.
Elsewhere, veteran opener Usman Khawaja has retained his place in the squad despite conjecture surrounding his place at the top of the order. The Queenslander was unavailable for selection for the Gabba Test due to a back issue, while McDonald didn’t rule out the possibility of him returning to the middle order.
“(Khawaja) should be fit and available, and then we will work out our batting order based on the surface and work out our bowling selections based on the surface and the opponents that we think that they may present to us,” McDonald said.
“The assumption is that (Khawaja) can only open as well. He does have flexibility.
“We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order.”
Earlier this week, McDonald confirmed that veteran fast bowler Josh Hazlewood had been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series, while England has lost speedster Mark Wood due to injury as well.
“Hazlewood will miss the remainder of the Ashes series having reported achilles soreness during his rehabilitation from recent hamstring injury,” CA confirmed in a statement.
“His rehabilitation timelines have been adjusted and he will now prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early next year.”
Following wins in Perth and Brisbane, Australia leads the series 2-0 with three Tests to play.
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Australian squad for third Ashes Test
Pat Cummins (c)
Scott Boland
Alex Carey
Brendan Doggett
Cameron Green
Travis Head
Josh Inglis
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Nathan Lyon
Michael Neser
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
Jake Weatherald
Beau Webster
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