Pat Cummins set to return for third Ashes Test in Adelaide after injury layoff; final fitness test awaited as Australia eyes stronger pace attack. Photo: ANI.
Australia captain Pat Cummins will be ready to return from injury for the third Ashes test against England in Adelaide, the fast bowler said on Saturday. Cummins missed the series-opener in Perth and the ongoing day-night match in Brisbane while recovering from a back injury.
“I’ll have one more bowl tomorrow (in the nets) and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have a bowl there. So barring any hiccups, I’ll be good to go,” Cummins told host broadcaster Fox Sports.
“The body feels great.”
Steve Smith has led Australia in Cummins’s absence, with Scott Boland replacing him in the pace unit since Perth.
With fellow pacer Josh Hazlewood unlikely to be fit for Adelaide, Cummins will likely return at the expense of Brendan Doggett or Michael Neser.
Cummins was omitted from the second test squad named a week before the Gabba test but confirmed media reports that selectors had seriously considered picking him before deciding it was too risky.
“It just felt a bit too acute at the end and didn’t really feel fair on the other bowlers,” he said.
“So we thought it didn’t feel like the right test match to take that risk — so kick it down the road for a week.”
The second of the Ashes 2025 is going on at the Gabba. Australia gained a lead of 177 after scoring 511 runs in response to England’s 334 total in the first inings.
England fights to stay alive after Australia takes a monster 177-run lead into the second innings of the pink ball Test in Brisbane.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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