Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series after selectors decided not to risk his long-term fitness following the retention of the urn. Cummins, who returned from a serious back injury in the third Test in Adelaide and took six wickets, will miss the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the Sydney Test.
Coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that while Cummins had pulled up fine from his first match since July, the series victory meant exposing him to further risk was not justified. "We were taking on some risk with his return but we've now won the series and that was the goal," McDonald said. "To position him for further risk and jeopardise him long term is not something that we want to do, and Pat's really comfortable with that."
Meanwhile, spinner Nathan Lyon is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury sustained while fielding in Adelaide. McDonald described Lyon as "pretty shattered" and said the recovery could be "pretty longish". The 38-year-old had been left out of the second Test but returned to take five crucial wickets in the third Test, reminding selectors of his value.
Australia have named a 15-player squad for the Boxing Day Test, with Todd Murphy replacing Lyon as the specialist spinner. Murphy, 25, last played for Australia in February and has 22 wickets from seven Tests. Steve Smith will captain the side in Cummins' absence, having recovered from an ear complaint that kept him out of the third Test.
The squad also includes pace trio Jhye Richardson, Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, as well as batters Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Usman Khawaja as Australia seek a settled middle order. The series is already won, having been retained in Adelaide.
