Steve Smith is set to lead Australia for the remainder of the Ashes, with Pat Cummins ruled out to manage his back injury. Cricket Australia (CA) announced the squad for the fourth Test, which will be played in Melbourne. Todd Murphy and Jhye Richardson have been called up as replacements for Nathan Lyon and Cummins.
Cummins made his much-awaited comeback in the Adelaide Test, which proved to be the series decider as Australia took an unassailable 3–0 lead in the five-match series. After the match, the Australian captain addressed the media and hinted that he would not be available for the Boxing Day Test. Head coach Andrew McDonald later confirmed the decision.
“He’s pulled up fine, he won’t play any part in the rest of the series and that was a discussion we had a long time out around his return,” McDonald said. “We were taking on some risk, and people who reported on that would understand the risk associated with that rebuild.”
Lyon has also been ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury on day five of the Adelaide Test, which required surgery.
Murphy is in line to play his first Test after a long hiatus, with the MCG pitch expected to aid spin. Richardson, Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser are likely to battle it out for one spot in the XI if Murphy is locked in.
There are no changes in the batting group. Usman Khawaja is likely to retain his place after scoring 122 runs in the previous Test. With Smith returning, Josh Inglis could be dropped.
Australia squad: Steven Smith (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz
