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Cricket Australia have named an unchanged 14-man squad for the second Ashes 2025-26 Test at The Gabba in Brisbane, beginning on December 4 in Thursday. While Usman Khawaja has been included after back spasms prevented him from batting in the first innings of the opening Test in Perth, full-time captain Pat Cummins was handed an extra two weeks to return to full fitness.
Cummins trained in full flow at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), bowling in smooth flow for more than an hour with the pink ball after having a similar session at New South Wales' Cricket Central headquarters on Tuesday.
Although the 32-year-old was seemingly firming up for a return, the think tank has decided not to risk the Australian captain and is likely to return only for the third Test in Adelaide, commencing on December 17. With Josh Hazlewood also on the mend, Brendan Doggett is set to retain is place in the playing XI, while Steve Smith will continue to lead the hosts.
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Doggett, who was handed out a debut at the opening Test in Perth, had a promising outing, taking five wickets across both innings. He could also take the new ball in Adelaide with the attack leader Mitchell Starc, given Scott Boland struggled with it in the series-opener. With Travis Head sizzling for Australia at the top during the run-chase in Perth, it remains to be seen if he opens the innings instead of Khawaja.
Australia squad for second Test: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
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Meanwhile, Hazlewood, who is battling a hamstring injury, has stated that it's hard to put a timeline on his recovery but hopes the hosts are on top by the time he returns. He said, as quoted by Fox Sports:
"It’s coming along slowly. I’ll have another bowl today, just started the other day. Running and everything’s going well. It’s probably tough to put a timeline on (recovery) ... play a part in the back end, hopefully. Hopefully it’s not still in the balance, hopefully we’re on top by then."
The Aussies have an outstanding record in pink-ball Tests, losing only one fixture so far in 13 attempts.
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