While the Australian cricket fraternity eagerly awaits an update on veteran spinner Nathan Lyon’s hamstring injury, captain Pat Cummins is also grappling with the delicate balance of risk versus reward as his side eyes an historic Ashes whitewash. The triumphant return of both Cummins and Lyon, which marked their initial appearances in the series, now presents a significant selection quandary for the Australians as they contemplate pushing their key players in pursuit of a 5-0 series victory.
Australia’s resounding victory in the third Test, securing their third consecutive win of the NRMA Insurance series, has been met with immense satisfaction. Captain Cummins articulated this sentiment, highlighting the team’s success in dismantling the aggressive "Bazball" approach of England and silencing critics who questioned the perceived age of their squad. "Winning 3-0 is hugely satisfying for many reasons," Cummins stated to reporters. "But particularly because a lot of the chat before the series was about how evenly poised it’s going to be. To win it in straight sets doesn’t get much better than that."
The elation of the victory was palpable, with Lyon seen discarding his crutches and wicketkeeper Alex Carey re-enacting Travis Head’s celebratory pitch-kissing gesture, all before the team launched into their traditional victory song, ‘Underneath the Southern Cross,’ on the Adelaide Oval outfield. However, as the Australians turn their attention to the upcoming Boxing Day Test, the realities of a tight four-day turnaround will undoubtedly cast a shadow.
Cummins has indicated that he will "almost certainly" sit out the Melbourne Test, a decision that suggests Lyon may also join him on the sidelines. This potential absence would represent a significant test of the remarkable depth Australia has demonstrated throughout the summer. The captain’s unavailability will further amplify the importance of vice-captain Steve Smith making a full recovery from the inner-ear issues that kept him out of the Adelaide Test.
The workload of pacemen Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, who have bowled the highest number of overs for either side in the series (95.5 and 90.5 respectively), also presents a concern. Both are reportedly pushing to play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), despite the compressed schedule. "At the moment, they both seem good," Cummins commented, adding that the pair would be closely monitored. "Good luck to anyone telling Starcy or Scotty they’re going to miss a Boxing Day Test if they’re fully fit."
Cummins himself delivered an impeccable performance in his first Test match in five months, returning figures of 6-117 from 34 overs. His rehabilitation from a back stress injury had been pushed to its limits to ensure his availability for the series. "If anything, because I came into the Test match quite fresh, I feel like my legs are still decent," the 32-year-old fast bowler explained. "Sometimes you hang on to some residual soreness from previous games. So feeling really good."
Reflecting on his personal commitment to the series, Cummins acknowledged the aggressive build-up to his return. "As for the rest of the series, we’ll wait and see. We’ve had a pretty aggressive build up knowing that there’s an Ashes there to be won, and we thought that was worth it." He then articulated the shift in priorities now that the series is secured. "Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of ‘job’s done, and let’s reassess the risk’."
The captain’s immediate future appears uncertain. "I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne, and then we’ll have a chat about Sydney. But certainly, before the series, it was, ‘while the series was live let’s take on the risk and have a crack at it’. Now it’s done. I think we need to have a chat about it."
Lyon sustained his hamstring injury while fielding on the final day of the Adelaide Test and was seen on crutches as his teammates celebrated. While the team is hopeful the injury is not as severe as the one that ruled him out of the 2023 Ashes, the short turnaround to the final two Tests makes his participation unlikely. "It doesn’t look great," Cummins said of Lyon, who took five wickets for the match. "Don’t know yet, but seeing someone on crutches doesn’t really bode well for a Test match a week away."
The irreplaceable nature of Lyon’s contribution was not lost on Cummins. "’Gaz’ is pretty close to irreplaceable. The ability to make breakthroughs but also control an innings is really important. So he’s going to be hard to replace." However, he expressed confidence in the depth of Australian cricket. "But we’ve got some guys who have already had a taste of international cricket around the traps. Other guys have done really well in domestic cricket. It’s been one of the benefits of the Sri Lankan tours, the West Indies where we take a couple of spinners. There’s guys that can step in and you feel like it’s not going to be too overwhelming."
The potential absence of Lyon opens the door for Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett, who played significant roles in the initial Tests, to be considered for selection in Melbourne. Spinners Todd Murphy, Corey Rocchiccioli, and Matthew Kuhnemann will also be in contention if Lyon is ruled out. Australia has already utilized 13 players across the first three Tests, and this number could potentially rise to 15 in Melbourne if a new spinner is introduced and Beau Webster earns a recall. The form of Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Jake Weatherald may also come under scrutiny, particularly given Usman Khawaja’s strong performances filling in for Smith and Alex Carey’s success at No. 6.
Cummins reiterated the importance of a strong squad for an Ashes series. "We always talk about (how) you need a full squad to win an Ashes series, a five-Test match series. One of the things I’m most proud about this group is whatever cricket team I’ve ever been in, there’s always been something that goes wrong at any time. And it’s how you deal with that." He lauded the team’s resilience and adaptability. "This group’s just amazing at just cracking on and (saying) ‘What’s the job that needs to get done? We’ll just go and do it’."
He further elaborated on the seamless integration of players stepping into the XI. "There’s been huge disruption with some of the players. I’ve missed a couple of games, but the way that Steve (Smith) can just jump in (to captain) and it’s seamless, other players who are on the fringe can jump in and be match-winners straight away." Cummins also addressed the pre-series discussions about the team’s age profile, asserting it as a strength. "Some of the talk before the series was about the age profile of the team. I think that’s one of our strengths, actually. The guys who have come in – they’ve been the star performers in domestic cricket for a long time. Whilst that doesn’t guarantee performance, you know that if they do get the chance, they’re pretty well suited. I think it does come back down to coaching and hopefully the team environment, they feel like they can be themselves."
While acknowledging that the team might adopt a more pragmatic approach to selection now that the series is won, the allure of a 5-0 clean sweep remains a powerful motivator. "Particularly the amount of work I’ve had to do to get up to speed in Test match cricket, you just want to play everything now," Cummins admitted. "Boxing Day is a huge Test. Sydney’s my home ground. You just want to keep it rolling on. But probably need to be pragmatic at times."
The ultimate goal, however, remains clear. "The goal is solely on winning this series, so we’ll savour this for a few days. No doubt, when we get closer to Boxing Day, people will start thinking, ‘It would be pretty cool if we can go up four nil’, and hopefully then in Sydney, do it five nil."
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes Fixtures:
- First Test: Australia won by eight wickets
- Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets
- Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs
- Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT
- Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT
Australia squad (third Test only): Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
