Hazlewood Ruled Out of Ashes; Cummins Set for Adelaide Return

Josh Hazlewood will miss the rest of the Ashes after sustaining an Achilles injury, shifting his recovery timeline toward making a comeback for the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has been cleared to return and will captain Australia in the third Test in Adelaide next week.

Usman Khawaja is also expected to be available, with Australia set to announce a 15-player squad on Tuesday, adding only Pat Cummins to the mix. Coach Andrew McDonald offered clarity on both Cummins and Hazlewood, confirming the captain’s readiness.

"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.

Hazlewood’s Injury Blow and World Cup Focus

McDonald confirmed Josh Hazlewood won’t feature again this series after picking up an Achilles tendon issue, a setback following his recent hamstring strain.

"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 the Achilles region. His preparation will then shift towards the World Cup, which is an incredibly important campaign for us."

Cummins Cleared Despite Long Layoff

Despite not playing since July due to lumbar bone stress, Cummins is considered fully prepared for Adelaide. McDonald added that selectors nearly picked him in Brisbane after impressive workload simulations.

"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 well prepared as he can be.

"He was well ahead of where we thought he'd be at. And it did create a real live conversation for Brisbane, the skill readiness, the loads, and how he was pulling up. It was debated a lot leading into that Test match. So with that in mind, us seeing him further advanced, we feel it'd be really well placed for the challenges of Adelaide, albeit a long way off. We feel as though the simulation in the nets has him skill-ready."

Lyon’s Role Still Crucial Despite Pink-Ball Omission

McDonald emphasised that Nathan Lyon remains central to Australia’s plans despite being left out of a home Test for the first time in 13 years, something he attributed purely to pink-ball conditions.

"We just value different things in the pink-ball game, and unfortunately, that meant Nathan had to be squeezed," McDonald said. "That's nothing to do with his skill set. Not a reflection on where he's at from his own performance. It is a reflection on pink-ball cricket and a reflection on the surface that was presented to us.”

"We still do value spin. The surfaces have pushed us in different directions, and that's the first game that Nathan's missed in Australia for a long time."

"I think Nath is going to have an incredibly huge impact in the last three Test matches. If you look at what he did at the MCG last year, when the surface became benign, sort of day three onwards, he was able to navigate through and hold an end. And that's the rhythm we want."

With Cummins and Lyon likely returning for Adelaide, the selectors face a tight squeeze. Brendan Doggett is the probable omission, while Michael Neser, after claiming his maiden Test five-for in Brisbane, may be unlucky to miss out. Australia, however, seems set to field its strongest available attack, with no plans to rest Scott Boland despite the short turnaround before the Boxing Day Test.

"In the pre-planning, which is something we do around the Test matches and work out where the stress points potentially will be, the gap between [Test] one and two and two and three was something we think we could manage so that it would be more than likely the best balanced and available attack for Adelaide," McDonald said. "We wouldn't be thinking about [whether] someone would need a rest there, but it's probably more so in Test matches four and five."

McDonald also noted that Mitchell Starc has recovered well after experiencing some discomfort during the Gabba Test.

"Starcy had a little bit of a hindrance with, I think it was his left side, with a bit of a jamming injury there that probably you saw visibly on TV," he said. "But nothing to worry about. That's something he's had before. It was just annoying during the game. But an incredible workload from him with both bat and ball, and he's pulled up well, which is a real positive for us."