Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has been officially ruled out of the second Ashes Test against England at the Gabba, with selectors opting for a cautious approach to his recovery from back soreness.
Unchanged Squad for Brisbane Clash
National selectors confirmed on Friday they would take an unchanged 14-man squad into the day-night Test in Brisbane, with veteran batsman Usman Khawaja retaining his spot despite fitness concerns. The final playing XI won't be confirmed until closer to Thursday's series resumption, leaving several selection questions unanswered.
Any remaining hope of Cummins making a surprise return has now been dashed, despite Australia's premier fast bowler showing encouraging signs during training sessions. The 32-year-old was spotted bowling for over an hour with a pink ball to Steve Smith in the SCG nets on Friday morning, initially boosting optimism about his potential availability.
Bowling Attack Reshuffle
Cummins' continued absence means Brendan Doggett is likely to maintain his position in Australia's bowling attack, joining Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon in the pace battery. The Australian captain will travel to Brisbane with the squad but won't feature until at least the third Test in Adelaide on December 17.
The setback marks another chapter in Cummins' injury struggles, having not played competitive cricket since Australia completed their clean sweep of the West Indies in July, when he first experienced back soreness. After being ruled out of the first Test in Perth, both Cummins and coaching staff had targeted the Brisbane day-night match as his potential comeback fixture.
Selection Headaches Continue
Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around Khawaja's form and fitness following his recent back spasms. The 38-year-old's opening spot came under scrutiny after Travis Head's match-winning century in the fourth innings in Perth, with growing calls for Head to move up the order permanently.
Such a move would allow Beau Webster to return to the middle order, while Matt Renshaw's hopes of featuring at the Gabba have ended after he was omitted from the squad. Khawaja's position remains under the microscope, with his 232 in Sri Lanka last January representing one of only two scores above 50 in his past 27 Test innings.
In positive news for Australia's bowling stocks, Josh Hazlewood also bowled in the nets alongside Cummins on Friday as he plots his return from a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the Perth Test. Hazlewood managed approximately 45 minutes of bowling on a shortened run, indicating he's keen to feature in the second half of the series.
Selectors have emphasized their cautious approach is precautionary rather than due to any new injury concerns, with Cummins understood to have suffered no further damage. The decision reflects concerns about the tight turnarounds between the final three Tests of the series.
