Australia captain Pat Cummins has returned to the Test squad for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide from December 17.
The inclusion of Cummins is the only addition to the group as Cricket Australia have named a 15-man squad for the third Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Due to a lumbar back stress injury, Cummins missed the first two Ashes Tests, and he hasn't played competitive cricket since the third Test against the West Indies in Sabina Park in July of this year.
Caption
Australia Squad for Third 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
The Australian captain's better-than-expected recovery from his lower back injury meant that he was close to being selected for the Gabba Test last week. Instead, Cummins bowled multiple spells in match simulations to get ready for the third Test as much as possible. Andrew McDonald, Brisbane's head coach, stated,
"He was well ahead of where we thought he'd be at and it did create a real live conversation for Brisbane." "Because of that, and the fact that we have observed him grow more advanced, we believe he will be extremely prepared for the challenges of Adelaide... We believe that the nets simulation has prepared him for skill. 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."
Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, has kept his spot in the team despite not playing a big role in Perth and missing the Gabba Test because of a back injury. McDonald said that he got along well in the nets in Brisbane and was expected to be fully match fit ahead of next week's Test. He stated, "Uz' (Khawaja) ought to be fit and available." "It is presumed that Khawaja can only open." He is indeed adaptable. We like to think that every one of our batters has the flexibility to perform in any order." Australia will have some tough selection calls to make with Nathan Lyon heading for a return in Adelaide along with Cummins which could see two of Scott Boland, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett miss out while the case of Khawaja presents some headaches for the batting lineup.
"The gap between one and two (Perth and Brisbane Tests), and two and three (Brisbane and Adelaide Tests) was something we thought we could manage, so it will more than likely be the best balanced and available attack for Adelaide," McDonald said.
"So we wouldn't be thinking that someone would need to rest there, it's probably more so in Test matches four and five (Melbourne and Sydney)," McDonald added.
With three Tests remaining, Australia would like to keep their Ashes lead at 2-0 and play at the Adelaide Oval next week.
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