2 days ago
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Cricket Australia has delivered a bombshell announcement on the makeup of its squad for the second Ashes Test against England in Brisbane, especially for skipper Pat Cummins and under-siege batsman Usman Khawaja.
Australia will go into the match with an unchanged 14-man squad after beating England by eight wickets in the first Test in Perth.
That means Cummins will not make his return from a back injury in Brisbane, despite seemingly being ready to bowl.
Cummins had been spotted bowling in Perth and Sydney, including with the pink ball that will be used in the day-night Test in Brisbane, but was not named to play.
It means the Aussies will go with the same pace attack as Perth, with Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett to support Mitchell Starc.
It could also mean a stay of execution for Khawaja, who has come under fire for his recent form.
Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane
Cummins had looked at full pace in the nets in Sydney but will not play against England in the second Test
Khawaja has been named in the squad, but his place in the final team remains in doubt
In his absence from the second innings, Travis Head knocked a swashbuckling century to rescue the Aussies and steal the match from England in Perth.
However it does not mean Khawaja is necessarily safe.
Josh Inglis has again been named as the reserve batsman, but after a recent century in a warm-up match against an England XI, he could press for a recall to the side.
Cummins has not played in a match since Australia completed a clean sweep of the West Indies in July, when he first noticed soreness in his back.
