Forgotten Aussie set for shock Ashes recall, Cummins to make early return
A forgotten Aussie Test player is in line to make a shock return during the Ashes in a wildcard move that spells trouble for one star.
Pat Cummins is set to be included in Australia’s squad for the second Ashes Test as selectors consider handing a forgotten player a shock recall later in the series.
According to Code Sports, Cummins is expected to be named in Australia’s squad on Friday for the pink ball Test match — he would likely replace Brendan Doggett in the XI if he is deemed fit and ready to go.
It’s a major boost for the Aussies after there were fears the fast bowling captain could miss several Tests or even the entire Ashes summer with a back stress fracture as he made a gradual return to training.
But Cummins has been spotted bowling rapidly with a pink ball in the nets and said his body was “feeling good” in Perth.
“It’s ebbed and flowed. There were probably times where I thought I wasn’t going to play a game,” Cummins said in commentary on Kayo Sports during the first Test.
“So in some ways being in this position (a chance to play in Brisbane) I actually feel potentially better than I did a couple of months ago. But it’s been tough.
“I’d say the hardest thing is just not being out there in the middle. You just want to be in amongst it. The whole cricketing world is watching and you just wish you were out there.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s selectors have plenty to ponder when it comes to who to pick to open the batting alongside Jake Weatherald in Brisbane.
Travis Head’s second innings century to help Australia win the first Ashes Test in Perth has thrown up plenty of selection scenarios as the Aussies mull a change at the top of the order.
Usman Khawaja is believed to be recovering well after he spent significant time off the field with back spasms during the first Test, opening the door for Head’s matchwinning century.
Moving Head up the order to open batting would effectively end Khawaja’s Test career, with Beau Webster or Josh Inglis to come into the XI in the middle order.
Marsh in frame for Ashes call
In a development that spells trouble for Khawaja, Mitch Marsh is expected to feature in the Australian squad at some point in the Ashes, and possibly return to the XI in a cameo role.
That is according to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald, which claimed Marsh will be part of the selectors’ plans for the “pointy end” of the series.
Marsh’s selection would effectively serve as a counter from Australia to England’s all-out pace attack of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson, while he could also offer a versatile option in the middle of the batting order.
That, in turn, could be a problem for Khawaja as it would allow Australia to then permanently shift Travis Head to open after his heroics at Perth.
If Marsh isn’t selected for Brisbane, the SMH reported he will be included in Western Australia’s team to play Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking his first Sheffield Shield appearance since October last year.
Marsh, who has not played a first-class match since being dropped after the Boxing Day Test against India last year, was floated as a genuine left-field option by both Greg Chappell and Michael Vaughan ahead of the first Test against England.
“Mitch Marsh is the choice I would have preferred,” Chappell wrote in a column.
“It would have been a left-field choice, but this is a venue where he has an advantage over all other candidates. He grew up in Perth so the bounce would not worry him; he is one of the best players of pace in the country, and he could have bowled some meaningful overs to support the frontline quicks.”
Vaughan, meanwhile, called Marsh’s century at the 2023 Headingley Test “exceptional” and said “the way that he plays pace bowling” is why he would have gone with the West Australian at the top of the order.
Chair of selectors George Bailey hinted earlier in the month that Marsh could factor in Australia’s plans later in the series.
“He’s got a game that could provide an injection, a different look at how he might attack it,” Bailey said of Marsh.
“It’s not the path we’re going down to start the series, but what it looks like later on, we’ll see.”
For his part, Head said he would be happy to open the batting, telling Triple M’s Mick in the Morning: “I’ve done a lot of international cricket; I’m comfortable anywhere I bat.
“I’ve got a blueprint and a tempo, (a way) I want to go about things; that certainly isn’t as hard as I went the other day, but I think my first 35 balls were really good.
“I was really pleased with my first 30 runs and their plans changed – they went to short-pitch bowling – I felt like there was opportunities to score in certain parts of the ground.
“I had to be proactive and move around in the crease, and it looked unorthodox but all that was on my mind was scoring runs.”
The second Ashes Test begins at the Gabba on December 4.
- With Foxsports.com.au
Originally published as Forgotten Aussie set for shock Ashes recall, Cummins to make early return
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