Pat Cummins (left) and Nathan Lyon picked up a combined 11 wickets in the third Test
Australia’s Cummins & Lyon to Miss Remaining Ashes Matches
Australia’s captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon will both be sidelined for the remainder of the Ashes series, beginning with the Boxing Day Test against England in Melbourne. Cummins is being rested for the fourth and fifth Tests following his hurried return from a back injury to participate in the critical third Test in Adelaide. Spinner Lyon underwent surgery for a hamstring injury sustained in Adelaide on Tuesday, with no specified timeline for his recovery. Batter Steve Smith, who was absent from the third Test due to illness, will once again step in to captain the side in Cummins’ absence, while Todd Murphy will take Lyon’s spot. Pace bowler Jhye Richardson is included in the squad to fill Cummins’ role. Australia holds a commanding 3-0 lead in the Ashes series and will aim to move closer to achieving a 5-0 clean sweep when the fourth Test kicks off on Friday (23:30 GMT Thursday). Cummins developed a back issue after the tour of the West Indies in July. Prior to the Adelaide Test, he shared how he shortened a recovery timeline that typically requires three or four months, down to six or seven weeks to participate in the Ashes. With the urn retained within three Tests, the 32-year-old will not be pushed to play and must wait to see if he can recover in time for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, set to begin in February. “We were taking on some risk,” said head coach Andrew McDonald. “We’ve now won the series and that was the goal. To jeopardise him long-term is not something we want to do, and Pat is really comfortable with that.”
Published: 2025-12-23 06:14:00
source: www.bbc.com
