Pat Cummins returns as captain after injury:Australia announce squad for Adelaide Test; Hazlewood ruled out of series

Australia received a major boost ahead of the third Ashes Test as skipper Pat Cummins has been cleared to make his international comeback. Cummins, who has been out of action due to a back injury, has been named in Australia’s 15-player squad for the Adelaide Test on December 17. His return comes at a crucial time as Australia looks to strengthen their 2-0 lead in the series. The 32-year-old fast bowler last played for Australia in July during the third Test against the West Indies. After months of recovery and rehabilitation, Cummins is finally ready to lead the side once again. His comeback adds both leadership and firepower to an already strong Australian bowling unit. The squad announcement included a few expected names and a couple of hopeful contenders. Along with Cummins, experienced players like Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, and Beau Webster have also been included. Pat Cummins returns after injury in Adelaide Test Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that Cummins is fully fit and ready to return. “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,” McDonald said. Cummins missed the second Test but is now available for selection, giving Australia a major advantage in the pace attack. Hazlewood ruled out of the remainder of the series While Cummins’ return is a huge positive, Australia suffered a setback with Josh Hazlewood being ruled out of the rest of the Ashes. Hazlewood had already been recovering from a hamstring injury, but a fresh Achilles-related issue has now ended his participation. “Unfortunately, Josh won’t be a part of the Ashes. Really, really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn’t see coming… It’s somewhere lower in the calf to the Achilles region,” McDonald explained. He added that Hazlewood will now shift his focus toward preparing for the upcoming World Cup. Khawaja, Lyon, and Webster were retained in the squad The selectors made no major changes to the squad, keeping faith in the players who helped secure a 2-0 lead at the Gabba. Usman Khawaja remains in the squad as he works toward full recovery, while veteran spinner Nathan Lyon and all-rounder Beau Webster also return after missing the second Test. Both will be pushing for a place in the playing XI. Australia XI for the Adelaide Test Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey(wk), Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.