Revealed: Who will lead Australia in the Ashes 2025-26 if Pat Cummins is ruled out of the series?

The much-anticipated Ashes 2025 is around the corner as the series will begin on 21st September in Perth. The series will see five games being played between Australia and England with the final game set to be played from 4-8 January. 

With Ashes 2025-26 around the corner, Australia are mulling over the fitness of skipper Pat Cummins. The premier pacer suffered a back injury during the Test series against the West Indies in July. Since then he has been out of action and there have been reports that he might miss the opening match. 

Pat Cummins has been recovering well but there is no clarity if he will be fit for the series or not. The fast bowler has started running but will resume his bowling. However, if he doesn’t recover then he might miss the entire series, which in turn could be a big blow for the Australian team.

Who will lead Australia in the Ashes 2025-26 if Pat Cummins is ruled out of the series? 

With Pat Cummins likely to be ruled out of the Ashes 2025-26, there have been speculations about who will be leading the team in his absence. If that happens, Steve Smith will take over the charge as he is currently the vice-captain of the Australian team. 

Chief selector George Bailey also confirmed about the same, saying that the batter has started training and if Pat Cummins gets ruled out, Smith will comfortably be ready. He said:

"If Pat doesn't play, Smudge [Steve Smith] will captain. That's business as usual for us. That formula has worked. 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. 

The Ashes 2025-26 will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). This will be second series for both the teams in this cycle of the tournament. 

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