Pat Cummins’ hint after Australia’s dominant win in Adelaide has now been confirmed. His name is missing from the 15 man squad announced for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, and Cricket Australia has also decided to rest him for the final Ashes Test in Sydney. With the series already secured, team management is unwilling to take any risks with their captain.
Cummins missed the first two Tests due to injury. After five and a half months away from the field and a demanding rehabilitation process, he returned in Adelaide and proved his class by taking six wickets. Even then, he expressed uncertainty about playing the remaining matches once the series was wrapped up. As expected, his name was left out when the Boxing Day squad was revealed on Tuesday. Coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed he will not feature in Sydney either.
The coach said there had been long discussions about Cummins’ workload since his return, and with the series goal achieved, the team does not want to expose him to further risk.
In his absence, Steve Smith will once again take over the captaincy. Jhye Richardson has been added to strengthen the pace attack, while Todd Murphy replaces Nathan Lyon in the spin department as Lyon awaits surgery.
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