Australian captain Pat Cummins will not feature again for the Ashes, while his availability for the T20 World Cup in February remains uncertain, with selectors and medical staff unwilling to risk his long-term fitness.
When Australia named their squad for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG on Tuesday morning, it confirmed what Cummins had said after the Adelaide Test – that he would be out for the rest of the series.
Head coach Andrew MacDonald later confirmed that Cummins’ Ashes campaign was over after just one appearance, despite playing a key role in securing the Chalice.
Cummins was diagnosed with a hip stress reaction following Australia’s tour of the West Indies.
However, after an intensive rehabilitation programme, he returned to action in Adelaide and produced a match-winning performance, taking six wickets as Australia won by 82 runs.
“He’s doing great,” MacDonald said. “He won’t play any part in the rest of the series and that was a discussion we had before his return.
“We took some risk and anyone who followed that rebuild understands the risks involved. We’ve won the series now and that’s the goal. To put him at risk further and to put him at risk for a longer period of time is not something we want to do and Pat is very comfortable with that decision.”
McDonald acknowledged the collective effort behind Cummins’ return for the third Test, describing it as a remarkable achievement for the player and the medical staff.
“If there was any setback during construction, we would have shut him down immediately,” he said. “Everything went smoothly and full credit goes to Pat and the medical team. It was incredibly pleasing to manage that risk profile, get him back on the park, take six wickets and win the Ashes.
“Looking back at the decision four months ago and the journey he went through to play in that Test, when many thought it was almost impossible, it was an incredible amount of work from our sports science and sports medicine team.”
Macdonald said Cummins’ fitness will be part of the discussion with the selectors while finalizing the T20 World Cup squad and medical advice will be sought before any decision is made.
Cummins has not played in T20 Internationals since the mid-2024 World Cup in the Caribbean and America.
After the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, IPL 2026 will begin, where he has been appointed as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“It will be an assessment,” McDonald said of Cummins’ World Cup chances. “He may have another scan at some point to make it more clear where his back is.” Looking ahead to the World Cup, I can’t really say whether he’ll be there or not – it’s too gray at the moment. We are confident.”
Australia’s pace depth was tested throughout the series, with Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the Ashes series and Sean Abbott sidelined ahead of the first Test.
Mitchell Starc led the attack well in the opening two Tests before taking three crucial wickets on the final day in Adelaide to seal the series. Starc had already expressed his desire to play in all five matches.
“Starc is amazing – he pulls up really well. I don’t know how he does it,” McDonald said. “I walked into the physio room the other day and asked how things were going and the answer was basically he’s a freak.
“He keeps running and gives the pace he does. There’s a lot to learn from how he prepares and targets the right matches. He’s given up a lot of IPL opportunities and you see a player who wants to play Test cricket and still does well. It’s an incredible story – he’s a freak, end of story.”
Meanwhile, Australia have bolstered their pace options for the fourth Test at the MCG by including Jay Richardson in the squad following his recovery from shoulder surgery. Richardson last played a Test during the 2021-22 Ashes series.