Pat Cummins and Nathan Ryan will return for Australia in the third Ashes Test against England, but there will be no place for veteran batsman Usman Khawaja.
Captain and fast bowler Cummins will be playing for the first time since July after overcoming a hip injury, but off-spinner Ryan was recalled from the day-night second Test in Brisbane as the home side opted for an all-pace attack up front.
Michael Nether, who took five wickets at home at The Gabba to take Australia to a 2-0 series lead, and fellow seamer Brendan Doggett have been dropped from the squad for the Adelaide Test, which begins on Wednesday.
Pat Cummins and Nathan Ryan return to Australian squad for Adelaide Test
Despite the batsman declaring he was 100 per cent fit after missing the second Test after sustaining a back spasm in the opening match, the hosts have objected to Khawaja’s call-up, leading to speculation that he could play his last match for his country.
Khawaja, who turns 39 on Thursday, has been unable to break free from the opening partnership of Jake Weatherald and Travis Head, who have shared 70-plus stands in both Perth and Brisbane.
Cummins insists there is a way back to Khawaja.
The left-hander could have returned in the mid-tables, but Australia want to protect their faith in Josh Inglis and complete their retention of Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity.
But Cummins, who will take back the captaincy from Steve Smith at Adelaide, told reporters there was a path back to Khawaja later in the series, saying: “It’s a possibility. I think the selectors were pretty adamant about picking the team each week. It doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be exactly the same team as the week before.”
Cummins, who will be captain again, says there is a path for Khawaja to return to the Australian squad.
“One of Uzi’s big strengths is that he’s scoring a lot up front and he’s also scoring in the midfield. If we didn’t think he was good enough to come straight in, he wouldn’t be here in the team. So I definitely see a way back at some point if needed.”
“I think the big change for us was probably Trav (Head) opening after the first Test and that paired well with (Weatherald). No matter what was thrown at them, they had an answer. That really set the stage for our innings.”
“I think you saw the few times they step up to bat, guys like Marnus (Labuschagne) and Steve (Smith) come in after that and really get going and start the inning well.
“I don’t know if we confused them or not, but we certainly had some momentum and kept the scoreboard moving. We were pretty happy with our batting lineup and didn’t feel like we needed to change anything in the middle order.”
Travis Head will open again for Australia alongside Jake Weatherald in Adelaide
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Cummins also praised the Australian team’s strength in their eight-wicket victory at Optus Stadium, which the Gabba achieved without fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood will miss the remainder of the series with the injury.
The captain added: “I think it shows the depth of the Australian cricket system at the moment with the fast bowlers. The players who stepped in were fantastic.”
“I think a lot of credit goes to them as well as the coach and Steve[Smith]who was managing them all day.
“There’s a disappointing group of players (not playing this week) but they’ve all been great in the group. They’ve bought in. It takes a team to win an Ashes series and they’ve all been great.”
“It feels like everything is coming together. We’re not just hanging around at the end of the series like you guys are. We’re actually peaking and we’re hoping there’s a ton of resources available.”
Smith missed Australia’s practice on Monday due to illness, but was in the nets on Tuesday.
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