Pat Cummins’ replacement as Australia captain for Ashes officially announced
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The Australian Chief Selector, George Bailey, has confirmed that Steve Smith will be appointed as the captain of the Australian side in the Ashes if Pat Cummins misses out on recovering from his back injury.
Australia will host England for the home Ashes this summer, with the five-match Test series to be played from the 21st of November. The Test series is to be continued till January 2026, as it begins 2 weeks after they host India for a T20I series.
Pat Cummins has already been ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against India; now, as per reports, he is doubtful for the Ashes against England as well. If Pat Cummins misses out on the first Test, then the Australian veteran Smith will be roped in as the skipper.
Steve Smith named as the skipper by Selector George Bailey
Steve Smith is all set to lead Australia in this year's Ashes if regular skipper Pat Cummins is unable to recover from the back injury that has kept him out of the field since the last Test against the West Indies. The Australian selector George Bailey confirmed this development.
"If Pat doesn't play, Smudge [Smith] will captain. That's business as usual for us. That formula has worked," Bailey told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Steve Smith returned to Australia from New York and resumed batting in the nets at Cricket New South Wales from the very day after arrival. He is scheduled to play the next two rounds of the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales at the Gabba and the SCG.
"Steve landed, and he was at Cricket NSW the next day, batting. So he'll do his thing. We've tried to tailor everyone's prep to suit them and certain obligations around that, but very comfortably, he'll be ready to go," Bailey said.
George Bailey updates Pat Cummins' involvement with the Australian team
Bailey added that Pat Cummins remains involved with the team, even if he is sidelined from playing in the team. He might be seen engaged with team preparations and the captaincy setup.
"Regardless of whether he's playing, Pat's keen to be around because if he's not playing, he'll be rehabbing and getting ready and bowling, so he'll be with the team anyway. That information flow and working together as captain and vice-captain will remain the same," he said.
"There will be no question over Green's fitness come The Ashes," said selector Bailey
Australia have constantly been threatened by injury concerns, and the most concerning has been the injury proneness of Cameron Green, who is still recovering from his spinal surgery. Recently, Green was ruled out of the white-ball series against India after having picked up a minor side soreness. This seemed to be a precautionary measure from the Australian side.
"Even minor side strains can see players ruled out for four to six weeks, but there will be no question over Green's fitness come The Ashes. It's very, very minor," Bailey told the ABC.
"It's a very conservative and precautionary approach from us, given the timeline and the work we've put into him. He just pulled up a little bit sore post the Shield game, and the big plan is to have him fit and firing as an all-rounder come the Ashes," he concluded.
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Tagged:
Australia National Cricket Team Pat Cummins Steve Smith The Ashes George Bailey England National Cricket Team Australia vs England
