Pat Cummins Almost Confirms He Won’t Play in Melbourne Test After Wrapping Up the Ashes in Adelaide

Brendan Doggett or Beau Webster may replace Pat Cummins in Melbourne as the Australian captain prioritizes injury recovery after securing series.

Pat Cummins Almost Confirms He Won’t Play in Melbourne Test After Wrapping Up the Ashes in Adelaide

Pat Cummins shared his unavailablity for the fourth Test against England in Melbourne (Image via Reddit)

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Australian Test captain Pat Cummins, after making his return to the longest format of the game, made a surprising announcement. The 32-year-old confirmed that he would not play in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne, after helping his side to victory in Adelaide. 

Pat Cummins was at his absolute best in Adelaide, after returning to action following a five-month long injury break. He finished with impressive figures of 6/117. During the Three Lions’ first innings, Cummins picked up the crucial wickets of Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jamie Smith. He once again got the better of Root in the second innings for just 39 runs, becoming the bowler to have dismissed the English batter the most number of times in Test cricket (12 times). 

Australia secured an 82-run victory over England, clinching the five-match Test series, while ensuring that they retained the Ashes urn for the fifth consecutive time since 2017–18. The win further solidified Australia’s dominance over England in home conditions. Since the 2010–11 season, they have been nearly untouchable on home soil, winning 16 out of their last 18 red-ball matches against their English rivals.

Having missed the Perth and Brisbane openers while recovering from a back injury sustained during the tour of the West Indies earlier this year, Cummins’ return for the Adelaide Test may be short-lived. Despite successfully leading his side to a series-clinching victory, the Australian captain indicated that he might sit out the upcoming Boxing Day Test at the MCG. With the Ashes urn already secured, Cummins is considering this cautious approach to minimize the risk of aggravating his previous injury.

Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of job’s done and let’s kind of reassess the risk. We’ll work it out over the next couple of days. I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne, and then we’ll have a chat about Sydney.

Pat Cummins to reporters post the conclusion of third Test (H/T: Cricbuzz)

While exclaiming that he felt great after bowling well at the Adelaide Oval, Cummins noted the need to reassess strategies before the remaining two Tests. Cummins further expressed doubts about his participation in the fifth and final Test in Sydney. He also revealed that teammate and ace spinner Nathan Lyon might also remain out, after having pulled his right hamstring while fielding on Day 5.

(On Nathan Lyon) It doesn’t look great. Don’t know yet, but seeing someone on crutches doesn’t really bode well for someone with a Test match a week away.

In Cummins’ absence, Steve Smith might once again be handed the responsibility to lead in Melbourne, after he himself missed out the Adelaide game. The veteran batter was ruled out hours before the toss, after experiencing vertigo-like symptoms, triggering a late reshuffle in the playing XI. 

Pat Cummins’ Australia clinches Ashes Urn with dominant 82-run win in Adelaide

In a clinical display by the World No.1-ranked Test side, Australia defeated England by 82 runs in the third Test of the ongoing 2025-26 Ashes at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Pat Cummins & Co. secured the series with the win, and now hold an impeccable 3-0 lead over their arch-rivals. 

Pat Cummins on Australia win
Pat Cummins & Co. secured the 2025-26 Ashes by winning the third straight Test match against England in Adelaide. (via Yahoo)

Opting to bat first, the home side lost some quick wickets on Day 1, but Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey steadied their ship. Khawaja scored 82 runs off 126 balls, while Carey recorded his maiden Ashes ton. For England, Jofra Archer scalped a five-wicket haul. The Three Lions in response scored 286 runs, guided by fifties from skipper Ben Stokes and Archer, and a crucial 45-run knock from Harry Brook. 

Australia extended its lead in the second innings, racing to 349 runs, with Travis Head scoring 170 runs off 219 balls, and Alex Carey scoring 72 runs. Josh Tongue was the pick among the bowlers, picking up a four-wicket haul. In their chase of a 435-run target, England could only manage to score 352 runs, with crucial knocks coming from Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Will Jacks and Brydon Carse.

The Aussies are currently on top of the 2025-27 World Test Championship table, with a perfect points percentage of 100. Australia have won all six of the Test matches that they have played so far, including a 3-0 victory over West Indies. 

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