Pat Cummins will not play the second Test against England in Brisbane. The selectors have simply re-issued the 14-man group used in Perth, resisting any late temptation to squeeze their captain back in for the pink-ball match that starts on Friday.
Cummins trained hard at the SCG on Friday, bowling a long spell to stand-in skipper Steven Smith, and will travel north with the team. He is due another bowling session on Monday. Realistically, though, the medical staff want him ready for Adelaide in a fortnight, not half-ready for the Gabba.
Speaking on television during the Perth Test, Cummins admitted he was “half a chance” of making Brisbane. Since returning to Sydney he has bowled with the pink ball, but the extra time makes sense. Pace bowlers coming back from side strains have been rushed before, and Australia do not want a repeat.
Usman Khawaja keeps his place despite the back spasms that meant he did not open in either Perth innings. Travis Head’s spectacular 123 from 83 balls while deputising has started the usual debate: should Head stay at the top permanently? For now, selectors lean towards the status quo. If Khawaja wakes up pain-free he will walk out first with Jake Weatherald. Should he pull up sore, options include Josh Inglis or Beau Webster in the middle order, with Head remaining an opener.
Brendan Doggett appears safe. Five wickets on a bowler-friendly Optus track earned him goodwill, and with Cummins still sidelined the Queenslander is the obvious third seamer behind Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. Doggett is not getting ahead of himself. “I am going to control what I can control, keep ticking the legs over, and keep bowling and trying to improve in every session and game,” he said on Thursday. “If I get called on in that second Test, I feel like I am ready to go again.”
Nathan Lyon bowled just two overs in Perth, which has revived the old pink-ball question: do Australia really need a specialist spinner at the Gabba? Former captains Michael Clarke and Aaron Finch were crystal clear on Channel Seven. “Lyon not being in XI should never be talked about,” Clarke declared, and Finch agreed. The panel’s view is that an off-spinner able to hold one end in the third session could be priceless. Still, the selectors have alternatives. Webster provides seam-up overs and extra batting. Michael Neser, fresh from Sheffield Shield runs, offers similar balance if conditions appear green enough to go four quicks.
Josh Hazlewood, recovering from a hamstring strain, bowled lightly again on Friday. The medical staff have not ruled him out of the back end of the series but Brisbane was never on the cards.
The squad gathers in Brisbane on Sunday evening. There is still time for a late tweak, yet the coaching group privately hope the XI picks itself. Continuity early in a five-Test summer is not a bad thing, especially with the World Test Championship points ladder already in mind.
Australia squad for second Test v England
Steven Smith (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
The day-night fixture starts at 2pm local time on Friday.
