While Pat Cummins is back in the side, Josh Hazlewood will miss the remainder of the Ashes series, having reported Achilles soreness during his rehabilitation from a recent hamstring injury.
Australia have already taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match Ashes Test series. They have now received a massive boost, with Pat Cummins named in the 15-man squad for the upcoming third Test, scheduled for the Adelaide Oval from December 17. He had been out of action with a lumbar stress injury since Australia defeated the West Indies in the Caribbean in July.
On the other hand, premier speedster Josh Hazlewood has officially been ruled out of the series. He had suffered a hamstring injury during Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield tournament last month and missed the first two Ashes Tests in Perth and Brisbane.
Hazlewood went on to suffer a further setback last week when he hurt his Achilles tendon. Australia head coach Andrew McDonald revealed on Tuesday that the experienced speedster would miss the entire Test summer. The realistic target for Hazlewood would be to recover fully ahead of the T20 World Cup in February-March next year in India and Sri Lanka.
Now, with Cummins’ return, Steve Smith has been relieved of his captaincy duties. He will return to his role as the team’s vice-captain.
Australia have been in rampaging form in the Ashes this year. On the other hand, England have not managed to make it count even after finding themselves in solid positions time and again.
Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja is also back in the squad. He played in the first Test but couldn’t open in both innings. The southpaw was left out of the playing XI as Cricket Australia (CA) gave him time to recover. In his absence, Australia opted for a new opening pair in Jake Weatherald and Travis Head. McDonald has hinted that Khawaja could be given an opportunity in the middle order. It would be interesting to see where the 38-year-old gets to bat.
Australia’s squad for the 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, and Beau Webster.
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