Australia's Test captain Pat Cummins is set to return for the third Test of the Ashes 2025-26 at Adelaide Oval. But there is good news and bad news for the Australian camp. After missing first two Tests, Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series. Hazlewood has been struggling with an Achilles issue and will not turn focus to the T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka.
"His body's ready to go and barring anything else happening in the next week, I'd be expecting Pat to be tossing the coin and putting the blazer on," head coach Andrew McDonald told the reporters on December 9.
McDonald shed light on Hazlewood’s new injury that will not see him donning the whites this Australian summer.
"Unfortunately, Josh won't be a part of the Ashes," McDonald said. "Really, really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn't see coming, and we thought he would play a huge part in the series.
"It's a totally separate injury. It's somewhere lower in the calf to Achilles region. His preparation will then shift towards the World Cup, which is an incredibly important campaign for us."
No game time for Cummins before Adelaide Test
Cummins will go back into the action without any game time. He hasn't played competitive cricket since the pink-ball Test against West Indies in July 2025.
"There won't be any match opportunities for Pat, and this is something we've done with Pat before, off long layoffs, where we've put some time and effort into rebuilding his body," McDonald said. "He was out at Allan Border Field, whilst everyone was out at the Gabba. So he simulated pretty much what a match will look like out there with multiple spells. So we feel as though he'll be as best prepared as he can be.”
Khawaja available for selection
Meanwhile, Australia’s veteran opener Usman Khawaja has recovered from the back spasms and available for selection for the third Test. In his absence, Jake Weatherald and Travis Head have done well as openers. In the Gabba Test, Weatherald registered his maiden Test fifty. He scored 72 runs from 78 balls, putting pressure on English bowlers.
"It worked at this point in time," McDonald said. "Pink-ball Test at the Gabba, we felt like that combination was right for those conditions and the opposition. We will always ask ourselves the question that the selection table as we move in. At our strategy meetings, we'll continue to ask questions on what the best line-up is for that point in time. And we're taking this Test by Test.”
Khawaja to bat in middle order?
While the opening spots are taken, McDonald has hinted that Khawaja may make his comeback to the team as a middle-order batter. In Brisbane, Josh Inglis batted at no.7 and scored 23 runs from 25 balls. If Khawaja bats in middle order, he is likely to replace Inglis.
"The assumption is that Uzzie can only open as well. So I think that he does have the flexibility. And we like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order. So we've got a collective sort of group of batters there that as a series wears on, the opposition may create some different challenges for us. So we're open to what it will look like for us moving forward," the 44-year-old said.
The third Test will begin on December 17. If Australia win or draw the third Test, they will retain the Ashes again.