Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series and faces a race against time to be fit for the T20 World Cup in February. The decision follows Australia’s victory in Adelaide, where Cummins returned from a lumbar stress reaction to take six wickets and help secure an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Head coach Andrew McDonald revealed that Cummins' one-test cameo was part of a pre-planned strategy involving high medical risk. "That was a discussion that we had a long time out around his return," McDonald said. "We were taking on some risk... We've now won the series and that was the goal. So, to position him for further risk and jeopardise him long-term is not something that we want to do and Pat's really comfortable with that."
McDonald credited the execution of the plan by the medical team, noting that any setback during rehabilitation would have shut Cummins down immediately.
The focus now shifts to Cummins' availability for the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin in India and Sri Lanka on February 7. McDonald admitted the situation remains uncertain, with further scans required to determine if the skipper can participate.
"That'll be an assessment," McDonald stated. "I'm assuming he'll have a check-in scan at some point and gather more information around where his back is at… whether he'll be there or not. I can't really say. It's quite grey at the moment. We're hopeful."
In Cummins' absence, Steve Smith will return to captain the side for the Boxing Day Test after recovering from the vertigo symptoms that ruled him out of Adelaide. The squad has seen further changes due to a serious hamstring injury to Nathan Lyon, who underwent surgery on Tuesday and faces a "longish" recovery period.
Victorian spinner Todd Murphy has been recalled as Lyon's replacement, while pacer Jhye Richardson returns to the Test setup following his own recovery from shoulder surgery.
While the bowling stocks are being tested, McDonald reserved special praise for Mitchell Starc, who has played every match of the series so far. "Starc's amazing, he's pulled up fine, I don't know how he does it... he, the physio, just said he is a freak," McDonald remarked.