Injured spinner Nathan Lyon is a doubt for the remainder of the Ashes series while Australia captain Pat Cummins is unlikely to play in the fourth Test following the hosts’ victory in Adelaide.
Lyon, 38, injured his hamstring while fielding on the fifth day of the third Test but Australia still completed a series-sealing victory.
Captain Cummins, 32, only returned to the line-up in Adelaide after missing the first two Tests as he recovered from a back injury.
The fourth Test in Melbourne begins on 26 December (23:30 GMT, 25 December) and the fifth follows five days later in Sydney.
“Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of the job being done, and let’s reassess the risk,” Cummins said of his own fitness.
“We’ll work it out over the next couple of days. I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne, then we’ll have a chat about Sydney.”
Despite not having bowled since July, Cummins was excellent – taking three wickets in both of England’s innings, including the scalp of the tourists’ key man Joe Root twice.
If Cummins does rest during the fourth Test, he is likely to be replaced as captain by Steve Smith, who the hosts expect to be fit after he missed Adelaide with illness.
Lyon, who became Australia’s second highest Test wicket-taker in Adelaide, immediately clutched his right hamstring and left the field and did not play any further part before returning on crutches to take part in Australia’s celebrations.
“It doesn’t look great,” said Cummins.
“I don’t know yet, but seeing someone on crutches doesn’t really bode well for a Test a week away.”