![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Nathan Lyon returns to the bowling attack too after being omitted for the Gabba pink ball Test and earns the chance to overtake Glenn McGrath as Australia\u2019s second highest ever wicket taker – the off spinner is two scalps away – on the ground he once worked as a curator.<\/p>\n
Michael Neser, who took a five-wicket haul in Brisbane, and Brendan Doggett are the two bowlers to make way, while the Australian top seven remains the same – leaving no place for Khawaja.<\/p>\n
The veteran, who turns 39 on Thursday, trained this morning, facing throwdowns against a ball without that had lot the Kookaburra writing on it, potentially hinting at a return to the side via the middle order.<\/p>\n
Such a move had been floated in recent days, but Travis Head will once again join Jake Weatherald at the top of the order, while Josh Inglis retains his place at no. 7 – behind gloveman Alex Carey.<\/p>\n
It leaves the Test career of Khawaja \u2014 who missed the second Test through injury after suffering back spasms in Perth \u2014 on the brink of being over. <\/p>\n
Cummins denied that Khawaja\u2019s time in Australian whites is completely over however, saying he still believed there is a way he can crack back into the XI before the series is done.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, potentially. The selectors have been quite adamant we\u2019re picking a side each week,\u201d Cummins said when asked if there was a road back for Usman Khawaja to the Test side.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s got to be exactly the same team as the previous week. We do that with the bowlers this week.<\/p>\n
MORE ASHES NEWS<\/p>\n
How \u2018blood-boiling\u2019 move put Bazball on brink of self-destruction … and if it can be saved<\/a><\/p>\n England\u2019s \u2018moment of truth\u2019 has arrived \u2014 and comes with three-word warning: UK View<\/a><\/p>\n ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 14: Usman Khawaja\u2019s Test career could be over.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, Nathan Lyon\u2019s coming back in. You know, one of Uzzie\u2019s great strengths he\u2019s scored runs at the top, he\u2019s scored runs in the middle. If we didn\u2019t think he\u2019d be good enough to come straight in, then he wouldn\u2019t be here in the squad. So, absolutely, I can see a path back at some point, if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n The skipper also stressed that Khawaja was not the only hard luck story among the batting group, calling out Beau Webster as an unfortunate case given he has missed all three Tests in the series despite a promising start to his time in the baggy green against India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies earlier in the year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a real team man … there\u2019s a disappointed group of players (beyond Uzzie) also,\u201d Cummins said. <\/p>\n When asked about the team structure, Cummins responded that Head\u2019s blistering century in the fourth innings in Perth as well as Head and Weatherald\u2019s 77-run stand in the first innings in the Gabba forced the selectors hand when it came to the make up of the batting order.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the big thing that\u2019s shifted on us is probably Trav opening after that first Test and how good that has looked with the Weathers, so we\u2019re pretty happy with that batting line-up,\u201d Cummins said.<\/p>\n ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 15: Travis Head during an Australia nets session at Adelaide Oval on December 15, 2025 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like it needed to change in the middle order.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far it\u2019s looked like they [Head and Weatherald] have been able to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Whatever has been thrown at them, they\u2019ve had an answer to. It\u2019s really set up the platform for our innings.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ve seen people like Marnus [Labuschagne] and Steve [Smith] walk in after that as well and really get on the back of that and start their innings well. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s scrambled the opposition, but it\u2019s certainly kind of got that momentum and kept that scoreboard ticking over and started our innings brilliantly.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the bowling group, Neser and Doggett are no doubt unlucky with the Queenslander snaring his maiden Test five-wicket haul in England\u2019s second innings at the Gabba and the Perth debutant taking seven wickets in his first two Tests.<\/p>\n But Cummins raved about the fact Australia are on the brink of winning the series despite his and Josh Hazlewood\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n \u201cIncredible, I think it shows just great depth in the Aussie cricket system at the moment with fast bowlers,\u201d Cummins said. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I said it\u2019s almost worked out perfectly…we\u2019re halfway through a series, I\u2019ve come back on line, you\u2019ve got Ness and Doggy who are resting from this week, but they\u2019ve obviously got themselves into the series and are available for the last two games.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve seen Jhye Richardson out the back bowling. So it feels like everything\u2019s come together and we\u2019re not just hanging on to the end of a series like sometimes you are.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re actually peaking and hopefully there are heaps of resources available.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the guys who have stepped in have been fantastic and I think it\u2019s a huge credit to those guys who have stepped in but also the coaches and Steve managing those guys throughout the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith absolutely FLOORED in nets | 01:23<\/p>\n Cummins also insisted that Neser and Doggett may be seen again in the series with the tight turnaround between Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.<\/p>\n The ten-day gap between the Brisbane Test finishing and day one at the Adelaide Oval meant selectors did not consider resting Scott Boland in preparation for Boxing Day, according to Cummins, who said the Victorian seamer and series leading wicket-taker Mitchell Starc pulled up well after the Gabba.<\/p>\n There were concerns on Monday about Steve Smith\u2019s health as he missed training through illness, but the champion batter was the first in the nets on Tuesday morning and enjoyed a long session facing the likes of batting coach Michael Di Venuto and former Australian ODI player Mark Cosgrove with the side arm.<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s session was interrupted by a low blow, however, which caused him to stay on the ground in pain for some time but he was able to resume batting after a roughly 15 minute break.<\/p>\n Australia XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland<\/p>\n England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n ENGLAND\u2019S XI: Poms\u2019 surprise axing as bold spinner call sees plans in disarray<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018TENSIONS RISING\u2019: Inside dressing room spat, brutal Warne admission that sparked thriller<\/a><\/p>\n FOLLOW THE TEAM NEWS IN THE LIVE BLOG BELOW! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia captain Pat Cummins on Tuesday confirmed multiple changes for the Adelaide Test \u2014 but neither included Usman…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318358,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-318357","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-cricket","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}