Pat Cummins, who missed the last two games against England with a back injury, has officially returned to the Australian team as captain as the hosts attempt to win the series in Adelaide next week.

Cummins has been troubled by a back injury and has missed eight games against England in Perth and Brisbane, leaving the hosts 2-0 up at the Adelaide Oval, which begins on December 17.

Josh Hazlewood, who usually forms part of the first-choice bowling attack alongside Cummins and Mitchell Starc, was sidelined from the team due to Achilles and hamstring injuries that ruled him out of the rest of the series.

Pace bowler Michael Neser has retained his place in the squad after being brought in as an injury replacement and has been brought into the squad in place of spinner Nathan Lyon at Brisbane.

The Queenslander took 5-42 in the second innings at the Gabba but may not get the chance to showcase his skills in Adelaide with Cummins and Lyon expected to join them.

Nether and Brendan Doggett, who made their debuts in the series opener in Perth, look set to make way for the famous duo as Australia look to seal the series with two games remaining.

Cummins is the only new addition to the 15-man squad, with opener Usman Khawaja retaining his place despite being ruled out with a back problem in Brisbane.

“We feel he’ll be as ready as possible,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said of Cummins.

“We feel like the Nets’ simulations have prepared him technically. His body is ready. Unless anything else happens next week, I expect Pat to flip the coin and put on a suit jacket.”

Alex Carey said: “He looks like he’s moving really well, and you probably saw that with the Nets.

“He has been in the team and has great energy, so if he is available, there is no doubt that the selectors will put him in.”

Kerry backs England beach redevelopment amid Australian media storm

England’s decision to rest the Ashes on the Sunshine Coast drew flak from the Australian media but rival wicketkeeper Carey defended their right to “recharge”.

The touring side’s four-day trip to the Noosa beach resort had long been built into their two-month itinerary, but Australia’s Blades have been eliminated after falling 2-0 behind defeats in Perth and Adelaide.

The England team has attracted the attention of photographers, TV reporters and writers, who captured photos of the players ordering beers and relaxing on the beach.

Titles including “The Sun is Out and Used Up,” “Even on Sunken Poms, Life is a Beach,” and “Preparing for Excess to a Bitter End” appeared alongside the images.

Meanwhile, Carey expressed his support for cricketers’ right to take a step back from one of the sport’s fiercest battles.

“The Ashes is very competitive and you don’t want to be thinking about cricket every day of the tour. If you do get a little bit of downtime, it might be a good time to rejuvenate,” he said.

“It’s a pretty big series and there’s a lot of time between games. The Australian cricket team can go home for a few days and be with their families, so the touring teams have to find time to fill those small windows.

“It all depends on the tour group finding ways to take your mind off cricket for a while. The breaks that the English do are nothing new.

“If the media likes to follow certain teams, that’s entirely up to them. We know that comes with the privilege of playing.

“We’re in a very fortunate position that we’re doing professional sports and people want to follow our journey.”

Australia Ashes Series 2025-26

Australia leads 2-0 in five-match series