Adelaide, 9 December (Daily Kiran) – Australia’s captain Pat Cummins is confirmed to make his return to Test cricket after nearly five months. He will lead the team in the third Ashes Test against England. However, Australia suffered a major blow as fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the entire Ashes series.
Team head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Tuesday that Hazlewood will not play against England this summer. He suffered a hamstring strain last month during the Sheffield Shield and developed an Achilles problem last week, ending hopes of his comeback.
McDonald said, “This is very disappointing for him. We faced some unexpected setbacks. We had expected him to play a key role in this series, but unfortunately, he won’t get that chance.”
Hazlewood will now focus on full fitness with the goal of playing in the T20 World Cup scheduled for February.
On the other hand, everything is progressing as planned for Pat Cummins. He is likely to be included in the 15-member squad to be announced on Wednesday and will resume captaincy duties from Steve Smith. Cummins has not played since feeling back pain during the West Indies tour in July, but his recovery has been faster than expected.
McDonald added that Cummins practiced match-like spells on the Alan Border Field ahead of the Brisbane Test. “We have prepared Pat similarly after long breaks before. His fitness and skills are both ready. Unless anything unexpected happens in the next week, I fully expect him to lead the toss in Adelaide,” he said.
The team is also relieved that left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, the leading wicket-taker in the series with 18 wickets from two Tests, is fit. Although he had minor discomfort on his left side during the Brisbane Test, the coach clarified that Starc will be fully available for the Adelaide Test.
Australia’s management is cautious about the workload of fast bowlers for the last three Tests. Considering the short four-day gaps between Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney matches, some bowlers may be rested. This could mean that two players among Michael Neser, Scott Boland, and Brendan Doggett might miss the Adelaide Test to keep the attack fresh for upcoming games.
The third Ashes Test between Australia and England will be played at Adelaide Oval from 17 to 21 December.
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(Daily Kiran) Dube
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