Pat Cummins ruled out? Australian Selector names replacement ahead of The Ashes 2025-26

Australia has been facing the heat due to recent injury concerns, the biggest of them being Australian veteran skipper Pat Cummins and all-rounder Cameron Green. The speculation over the unavailability of these players has been ruled out by Chief Selector Bailey, as he confirms one exclusion while denying the other. 

Australia will host England for the Ashes this summer and is scheduled to play its first game on the 21st of November. England, since 1987, has won only one Ashes series on Australian soil, and that was back in 2010-11. A decade has passed by; English legends have come and gone, but the record in Australia remains disheartening. 

However, for the first time in the history of the Ashes, the Englishmen looked very pumped up as they claimed that this is the weakest-looking Australian side in all these years. So much confidence has been boosted by the absence of seasoned pacer and WTC-winning skipper Pat Cummins. 

Steve Smith named as Pat Cummins' Captaincy replacement for The Ashes 

Undoubtedly, Steve Smith, the veteran batter with 10000+ runs in the longest format of the game, is the most experienced player in the side, also having led Australia on several previous occasions. Smith also led Australia in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy after Cummins was ruled out. 

The veteran batter has been looking for form, which has not been consistent since the West Indies tour. As of now, he has returned to New South Wales from New York and is practicing in the batting nets at the NSW headquarters. He is preparing for the next two rounds of the Sheffield Shield for NSW to be played at Brisbane and Sydney. 

As per Australian Chief Selector George Bailey's claims, the seasoned star will be leading the Aussie side if Cummins fails to recover from the back injury ahead of the Ashes. 

"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 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 added. 

Australians relieved of Cameron Green's injury concerns 

While the decision over Steve Smith's appointment seemed to have weighed off the concern for a skipper, the worry only deepens over Cummins' return and the lack of depth in Australia's pace attack. In Cummins' absence, the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland are most likely to take up the ball. 

To add to the concern, Cameron Green, the all-rounder recovering from his spinal surgery, has been ruled out of the white-ball series against India due to side soreness he experienced in an attempt to bowl in the nets. However, Bailey has confirmed his return for the Ashes, staging the snub to be only precautionary. 

"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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