The Aryavarth Express
Melbourne [Australia]: Australia’s Ashes campaign will continue without captain Pat Cummins, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to an ongoing back injury. Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Tuesday that the fast bowler will not feature again in the series, while his availability for the upcoming T20 World Cup in February also remains uncertain.
Cummins had earlier indicated after the Adelaide Test that he would miss the fourth Test against England. McDonald later confirmed that Cummins’ Ashes campaign had effectively ended after a single appearance, which played a key role in Australia retaining the Ashes.
Speaking ahead of the announcement of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, McDonald said Cummins would undergo a review scan to assess his recovery, adding that his participation in the global event is currently unclear.
“He’s pulled up fine, but he won’t play any further part in the series,” McDonald said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “This was a decision discussed well in advance. We took a calculated risk with his return, and the goal was to win the series, which we’ve achieved. We don’t want to expose him to further risk and jeopardise his long-term fitness, and Pat is comfortable with that.”
On Cummins’ T20 World Cup prospects, McDonald said, “That will be assessed after further scans. At this stage, it’s quite grey. We’re hopeful, but it’s too early to say for sure.”
Cummins was diagnosed with a lumbar stress reaction following Australia’s tour of the West Indies. After an intensive rehabilitation program, he returned for the third Ashes Test, delivering an impressive performance with six wickets as Australia secured an 82-run victory to clinch the series.
Fast bowler Jhye Richardson has been added to the squad as Cummins’ replacement and is in contention for the fourth Test. Richardson last played a Test match during the 2021–22 Ashes series. In Cummins’ absence, Steve Smith will lead the Australian side.
Notably, Cummins has not played a T20 international for Australia since the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean and the United States.
Australia Squad for Fourth Test:
Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
