Pat Cummins Archives

Australia’s injured Pat Cummins ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026

Cricket Australia (CA) had to make last-minute changes to their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad after star pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out of the tournament on Saturday.

Meanwhile, batter Matthew Renshaw has come into the squad at the expense of Matt Short, thanks to the former’s impressive showing in the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL) season 15.

Test skipper Cummins only played one of the five Ashes Tests against England over the Australian summer as he slowly recovers from a lower back injury.

He was hoping to be fit for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7, but has run out of time and been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis.

“With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.

“We believe his ability to swing the ball at a good pace, along with clever variations, will be well-suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.”

The only other change to the provisional squad named this month sees Renshaw come in for Short, who has paid the price for his ordinary performances in the Big Bash League (BBL).

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“Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat,” Dodemaide said.

“With the top order settled and spin-heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle-order support, with Tim David completing his return to play programme in the early phase of the tournament.”

Big-hitter David is on the comeback trail from a hamstring injury.

The squad is spin-heavy in preparation for the sub-continent conditions, with left-armer Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly complementing chief tweaker Adam Zampa and part-timer Glenn Maxwell.

Australia’s group-stage matches are all being played in Sri Lanka. They open their account against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.

Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

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Cummins, Hazlewood likely to miss Pakistan T20I series

SYDNEY: Australia’s ace pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are likely to miss the three-match T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Although the ace duo is included in the World Cup squad, the fitness of both bowlers has raised doubts over their participation.

Cummins has made one appearance in the third Ashes Test after recovering from a back injury, while Hazlewood, who was ruled out of the Ashes after the opening match, is recovering from an Achilles injury.

Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey expressed confidence over Hazlewood and Tim David’s fitness ahead of the mega event.

“I don’t think they [Cummins and Hazlewood] will be available for the Pakistan series [three T20Is in January], but I think both should be online [for the World Cup],” Bailey told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

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He shed light on Pat Cummins and stated that the latter could play in the second half of the World Cup just like Travis Head did in the ODI World Cup during 2023.

“Patty might be a bit later; that might be a similar sort of situation to Travis Head in the 50-over World Cup, where there’s an entry point at some point.

Hopefully, we can manage and carry a squad until that point. I think Hoff [Hazlewood] should be right by the start, think Tim David should be right by the start,” he said.

He also revealed that the Big Bash League (BBL) players will also come into consideration for the inclusion in the squad for the Pakistan series.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

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Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon ruled out of remainder of Ashes

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon were on Tuesday ruled out of the final two Ashes Tests against England, with the veteran spinner facing surgery and an extended period on the sidelines.

Quick bowler Jhye Richardson and spinner Todd Murphy were named as cover in a 15-man squad for the fourth Test starting on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia have already retained the famous urn with eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run victory in Adelaide.

Cummins “won’t play any part in the rest of the series”, coach Andrew McDonald told cricket.com.au.

He returned from a lower back injury to lead Australia to victory in Adelaide in his first Test since July, taking six wickets in the match.

“That was a discussion that we had a long time ago about his return. Yeah, we were taking on some risk. We’ve now won the series, and that was the goal,” said McDonald.

Cummins will now target full fitness for the month-long Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, starting in early February.

“To position him for further risk and jeopardise him long term is not something that we want to do,” said McDonald.

“Pat’s really comfortable with that. If he had any setback in the build-in as well, we would have shut him down straight away.”

Steve Smith, who captained the team in Cummins’ absence during the first two Tests, will lead the side again in Melbourne after missing Adelaide with vertigo symptoms.

Usman Khawaja replaced Smith at number four in the Adelaide Test, scoring 82 and 40.

Lyon, 38, damaged his right hamstring saving a boundary on day five in Adelaide, fielding and hobbled off.

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He claimed his 564th wicket in the match to move clear of fellow Australian great Glenn McGrath and into sixth on the all-time Test bowling list.

“Nathan Lyon will have surgery on a torn right hamstring, which will sideline him for an extended period,” Cricket Australia said.

Lyon’s replacement, Murphy, is in line to play his first home Test. His seven previous appearances for Australia all came overseas. His last was in Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Richardson was included after a four-year Test absence, during which he underwent three shoulder surgeries.

Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc are likely to lead the seam attack after recovering well from Adelaide, with Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and Richardson battling to join them.

McDonald paid tribute to 35-year-old Starc, who has sent down close to 100 overs in the series so far and remains in good shape.

“Starc’s amazing. He’s pulled up fine,” McDonald said of the leading bowler in the series.

Starc has taken 22 wickets in the three Ashes Tests so far at an average of 17.04, including a career best innings return of 7-58 in Perth.

He has also contributed 150 valuable runs with the bat down the order.

“He keeps running in and presenting the pace that he does,” said McDonald. “There’s a lot to be learned around preparing yourself and targeting the right matches at the right time.”

Australia squad: Steve 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

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Australia make two changes to Playing XI for third Ashes Test

Fit-again opener Usman Khawaja was left out of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide starting Wednesday as skipper Pat Cummins and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon were named in Australia’s Playing XI.

Khawaja, who turns 39 this month, had back spasms and failed to open in the first Test victory against England in Perth, then was ruled out injured for the second in Brisbane.

He has since recovered, but selectors opted to stick with Travis Head and Jake Weatherald at the top of the order, leaving the 85-Test veteran’s international future in grave doubt.

Asked if there was a way back for Khawaja, who has been on a lean run of form, Cummins replied: “Yeah, potentially.

“I think the selectors have been quite adamant we’re picking a side each week that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s got to be exactly the same team as the previous week.

“We do that with the bowlers, this week obviously Nathan Lyon’s coming back in, he missed last week.

“One of Uzzie’s (Khawaja) great strengths is [that] he has scored runs at the top, he scored runs in the middle,” he added.

“If we didn’t think he’d be good enough to come straight in, then he wouldn’t be here in the squad. So absolutely, I can see a path back at some point if needed.”

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As expected, Pat Cummins returns after missing the first two Tests with a back injury and will lead the attack alongside the outstanding Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.

Veteran spin king Nathan Lyon is also back after being axed in preference for an all-pace attack at the Gabba, with Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser making way.

Cummins said he was firing on all cylinders and raring to go.

“If I played in Brisbane, I would have probably been in limited overs, but this week it’s just go and play like any other Test match,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic to watch,” he added of the series. “I think it’s lived up to the hype, captivating every session.

“I’ve loved it and itching to get out there. The boys have been fantastic, Steve (Smith) has led brilliantly, and I feel like I’m coming into a pretty settled and happy side.

“Couldn’t have gone any better from our point of view.”

Australia Playing XI for third Ashes Test

Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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Pat Cummins back in Australia squad for third Ashes Test

Australia captain Pat Cummins is in line to return for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide after being named in a 15-man squad on Wednesday.

Cummins is the only addition to an otherwise unchanged squad from Brisbane, where Australia won by eight wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

The 32-year-old Cummins has been sidelined since the tour to the West Indies in July with a lower back injury.

“We feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.

Under-pressure veteran opener Usman Khawaja, who did not play in the second Test because of a back injury, kept his place in the squad for the match, which begins at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.

Josh Inglis replaced the injured left-hander in the team for the second Test, but batted in the middle order with Travis Head moving up to open alongside Jake Weatherald.

McDonald did not rule out a fit-again Khawaja moving down the order if the dynamic Head opens again on his home Adelaide Oval wicket.

Khawaja batted at five in the fourth Test of the 2021-22 Ashes, making a century in each innings, 137 and 101 not out, in a drawn match at Sydney.

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“Uzzie should be fit and available, and then we will work out our batting order based on the surface,” McDonald said.

“The assumption is that (Khawaja) can only open as well. He does have flexibility.

“We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order.”

Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has 562 Test wickets, is likely to return after being dropped at the Gabba for the first time in 12 years at home when Australia opted for an all-seam attack.

If Cummins also plays it means that only one of Scott Boland, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett will keep their place alongside Mitchell Starc in the pace attack.

Starc, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 18, was reported fit by McDonald after suffering what the coach termed a “left side niggle” while making 77 with the bat in Australia’s first innings in Brisbane.

After Adelaide, the series moves on to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, with the fifth and final match in Sydney starting on January 4.

Australia squad for third Test

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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Ashes 2025: Pat Cummins provides fitness update for Adelaide Test

Australia captain Pat Cummins has declared himself ready for a long-awaited comeback, confirming on Saturday that he expects to be fit for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide after more than three months on the sidelines.

Cummins, 32, has been out of action since sustaining a lower-back injury during Australia’s series against the West Indies earlier this year.

The setback ruled him out of the Ashes opener in Perth, which Australia wrapped up inside two days, and the ongoing day-night clash at the Gabba.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Cummins provided the clearest indication yet that his return is imminent.

“I’ll have one more bowl tomorrow in the nets, and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have a bowl there. So barring any hiccups, I’ll be good to go,” he said. “The body feels great.”

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In his absence, Steve Smith has taken over leadership duties, while Scott Boland has filled the vacancy in the fast bowling attack.

With Josh Hazlewood also unlikely to be available for Adelaide, Cummins’ return would most likely see either Brendan Doggett or Michael Neser make way.

Pat Cummins revealed that selectors came close to naming him for the Gabba Test but ultimately opted for caution.

“It just felt a bit too acute at the end and didn’t really feel fair on the other bowlers,” he explained. “It didn’t feel like the right Test match to take that risk, so kick it down the road for a week.”

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Australia’s Pat Cummins drops major hint on his Ashes comeback

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins hinted on Thursday at a comeback for the second Ashes Test, a day after the side unveiled its squad ahead of this month’s opener.

The 32-year-old pace spearhead has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

“It’s all feeling really good. On track and yeah, probably better than I expected,” Cummins told journalists.

“Each session is incremental. Once I get over to Perth, I should be pretty close to a full run-up and getting some overs in.”

“It’s probably not until you get a bit closer that you can really know where you’re at,” Cummins said.

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“It’s trying to keep that second Test as a real live option,” he said of the day-night contest in Brisbane on December 4.

Late last month, Cummins’ tentative return was rumoured after he was spotted in a brief net session in Sydney, captured by local television cameras, bowling off a five-step run-up.

Cummins will travel with the Australian side for the first Test against Ben Stokes’ England in Perth from November 21.

Steve Smith will step up as Australian captain, with the ever-reliable Scott Boland to replace Cummins in the seam attack alongside quick bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

England drew 2-2 on home turf in the most recent Ashes series in 2023 but have not won in Australia since 2010-2011.

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Australia’s Pat Cummins makes tentative bowling return

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins bowled for the first time since July on Wednesday as he races the clock to be fit for the second Ashes Test against England.

The 32-year-old pace spearhead has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

But he made a tentative return in a brief net session in Sydney captured by local television cameras, bowling off a five-step run-up.

Cummins has been ruled out of the first Test against Ben Stokes’ England in Perth from November 21, with hopes that he will be ready for the second day-night contest in Brisbane on December 4.

“We’re on the journey to that second Test and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday of Cummins.

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“We will see how he pulls up and then we’ll make decisions moving forward.”

Steve Smith will captain the side in Cummins’ absence with Scott Boland almost certainly replacing him to join fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Australia are still grappling with who will open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja.

Incumbent Sam Konstas’ form has nosedived, and he was again out cheaply in the Sheffield Shield on Thursday, bowled for 10.

Selectors are due to finalise their Ashes squad at the end of the current round of the domestic red-ball competition, with Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne also in the running to be the opener.

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Australia captain Pat Cummins ruled out of first Ashes Test

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England in Perth next month, head coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday.

McDonald said Cummins had “run out of time” as he recovers from a lower back injury, and that veteran batter Steve Smith would lead the side in his absence.

Australia are clinging to hope the pace spearhead will be ready for the second match of the Five-Test series.

“We’ve grappled with it for a little while, and the nature of the injury is that you grapple with it day-by-day,” McDonald told reporters. “We’re really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match.”

“He’ll be back bowling this week, that’s a huge step.”

But McDonald conceded Australia were unable to give a firm timeframe for Cummins’ return.

The 32-year-old has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July.

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McDonald said Australia were “incredibly fortunate” to call on the experienced Smith in Cummins’ absence.

Scott Boland looms as the likely replacement, joining fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

“Losing your captain is not ideal, but when you’re talking about Scott Boland as a potential replacement — it’s not a bad position to be in,” McDonald said.

Cummins’ race to prove his fitness has become a major storyline leading up to the first Test, starting in Perth on November 21.

“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes,” he said in September.

“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait-and-see.”

Pat Cummins has suffered serious back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season.

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Pat Cummins provides fitness update for first Ashes Test

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday that he was “probably less likely than likely” to be fit for the first Ashes Test next month, but was still clinging to a shred of hope.

Pace spearhead Cummins has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July.

Cummins admitted time was running out to get his body ready for the opening Ashes Test beginning in Perth on November 21.

“I’d say probably less likely than likely, but still got a bit of time,” Cummins told reporters, adding that he felt a “bit stiff”.

Cummins said he was still two weeks away from bowling again in the nets, and then it would take time to rebuild his fitness to a level where he could play a full part in a Test.

“You want at least a month in the nets, getting used to it,” said Cummins.

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“If you’re going to play a Test match, you want to make sure you’re right to bowl 20 overs a day and you don’t have to really think about it.

“I know I’m running today and running every second day, and each run is a bit longer, and then we get into bowling prep next week.

“Probably a couple of weeks to go before I’m putting on the spikes and bowling out on turf.”

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said last week he was still considering whether to include Cummins in the side, even if he was a “little bit underdone” with his rehabilitation.

Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

They beat England 4-0 at home in 2021-22 when Cummins was the leading bowler with 21 wickets at an average of 18.

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