- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:12 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ashes 2025: Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins has yet again been ruled out of the second Test against England in Brisbane as the hosts have announced an unchanged lineup for the upcoming match of the ongoing series. Steve Smith will once again lead from the front in his absence.
Bowlers like Sean Abbott and Josh Hazlewood, who weren't part of the series opener owing to injuries, will be giving this Test match a miss as well. The second Test match will be held next month, where Cummins will be going with the team to work on his recovery.
Cummins was supposed to be part of the team for the second match as he was seen practising with the pink ball. He also revealed that he has a half-chance of making it to the cut for this match.
"It's on track and pulling up pretty well. [I'm] half a chance for the next game. I'm pretty hopeful, and it's probably better than it was a few weeks ago,” Cummins was quoted as saying on a Fox Sports broadcast.
Although Pat was hopeful of returning to the side, as per a report, the selectors will only declare him fit when he is ready to play a full Test match.
"It looked like a player who was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There are a lot of positives, but now it's just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we're not putting him in harm's way in terms of accelerating it too much," Andrew McDonald told reporters.
The Steve Smith-led side is leading the series by 1-0 after winning the series opener in Perth, which ended in just two days.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR BRISBANE TEST
Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.