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SELECT 👉 Hagley Oval feed
Cummins in the mix as Smith stops short of confirming Test XI
SEN • December 3rd, 2025 4:37 pm
Pat Cummins could make an 11th hour return to captain Australia in the second Test against England where Josh Inglis is also expected to receive the nod.
With Usman Khawaja ruled out of the second Test which gets underway at the Gabba on Thursday, Inglis will reportedly come into bat in the middle order with Travis Head expected to open.
Should Cummins be named on Thursday it would mark an extraordinary return from an injury that at one stage many feared would rule him out of the entire series.
Cummins missed the first Test victory in Perth as he continued to rehab and build-up from the back stress injury that he suffered in the Caribbean during the West Indies series in July.
Asked about the formation of the team, stand-in captain Steve Smith told the media: "A whole heap of things are on the table."
"(Cummins) looks pretty good to me, the way he's bowled in the nets. He is tracking really nicely, he knows his body well, so we'll wait and see."
Speaking on the potential inclusion of Inglis, Smith revealed that selectors are yet to settle on a decision.
"It's going to depend on how we match up," he said.
"We will know later this afternoon once we see this wicket.
"He's a pretty attacking batsman. Did pretty well in his debut in Sri Lanka, and has been in pretty good form.
"He plays fast bowling really well, so if he gets his opportunity, I'm sure he'll do really well for us."
Smith also made note of Khawaja's absence, speaking of his future within the Test setup.
"He obviously wasn't fit to get up for this one. He's doing all the right things to try and get himself fit as quickly as possible.
"He has been a quality player over a long period of time, anyone that plays over 80 Tests is a good cricketer.
"We will look at this game, see how it goes, and I'm sure that's a question for selectors moving forward."
As stated by Smith, Australia's XI for the Gabba Test will be revealed later on Wednesday afternoon, with the first ball set for 2:20pm local time, 3:20pm AEDT.
