Pat Cummins could still play in second Ashes Test despite not being named in Australian squad

Australia named its squad for the Brisbane Test on Friday minus Pat Cummins. But it can be revealed the Aussie skipper will make a last-ditch bid to lead his team in the pink-ball Test.

The door is still open for Pat Cummins to make a shock appearance in the second Ashes Test.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday a call could come late on whether Cummins is injected into the XI for the Gabba, and this prospect remains completely unchanged despite the Australian skipper being left out of the official squad named on Friday.

Unlike International Cricket Council tournaments where teams have to finalise official squads in advance, there are no such parameters placed on Australia for a home series and Cummins is still travelling to Brisbane with the squad and will train with the team in Brisbane as planned.

Rather than his omission from the same 14-man squad that won in Perth being a sign Cummins has suffered any kind of setback in his push to return to the Ashes fray, the opposite is true and the Australian captain continues to defy expectations with the speed of his recovery.

Cummins is yet to be passed fit for a return by Australian medical staff – hence the reason he was not officially added to the squad on Friday – however, that green tick could still come before the Gabba Test starts on Thursday, in which case he could be thrust straight in.

“Pat is still completing his return to play,” CA said in a statement.

“He will bowl again on Monday.”

The spearhead had another strong bowl with the pink ball at the SCG on Friday and will have another key session with the Aussie quicks in Brisbane on Monday before a final call is made on whether to unleash him on England at the Gabba.

Pat Cummins could still play in Brisbane despite not being named in Australia’s squad.

Behind the scenes, there has always been a feeling that Australia is more likely to hold Cummins back for the third Test in Adelaide, which would allow him another two weeks to put miles in his legs in his recovery from lower back stress.

Certainly the decision to leave him out of the official squad adds to that theory that Australia will ultimately err on the side of caution – and Steve Smith has been pencilled in to deliver the pre-match captain’s press conference in Brisbane on Wednesday.

However, pitch conditions and the make-up of the Australian XI – as well as Cummins’ medical status – could still see him as a late injection into the side.

Perhaps Cummins’ best chance of playing will be a spicy deck and a decision to play four quicks instead of spinner Nathan Lyon – because in that scenario he could be shielded from needing to bowl excessive overs and could be used in short bursts.

McDonald’s declaration on Monday that Cummins remained a live chance, has not changed.

“For those who saw him [Cummins] in Perth — I did say this a while back, that he will be up and bowling in Perth, and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing,” McDonald said.

“That was what was presented to us.

“It looked like a player who was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation.

“The intensity was there, the ball speed was there.

Cummins speaks with coach Andrew

“So there’s a lot of positives there, but now it’s just really building that resilience there, and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much.

“But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match, and that may be one that eventuates late for us.”

Stablemate Josh Hazlewood said on Friday Cummins’ remained in selection discussions for Brisbane.

“Yeah, he’s ticking a lot of boxes,” Hazlewood told Fox Sports News.

“I saw him bowl on Tuesday with the pink ball. That’ll be the talk this week. They’ll discuss that and see if he’s up for the challenge.”

Hazlewood declined to put a timeline on his own recovery from a hamstring injury, but said he hopes to be injected into the Ashes late in the series.

Originally published as Pat Cummins could still play in second Ashes Test despite not being named in Australian squad