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Australia Head coach Andrew McDonald has not given up hopes of captaincy pat cummins Being available for the start of the highly anticipated Ashes series next month.
Cummins returned to the running this week as he recovers from a lumbar strain in his lower back, which has sidelined the charismatic fast bowler since Australia’s final Test in the West Indies in July.
Reports in Australia this week claimed Cummins would miss the curtain-raiser match Englandis triggered Perth on 21 November, and his participation in the entire series is in doubt.
But McDonald took a more optimistic stance, even though he acknowledged Cummins has not had time to prove his fitness for the opening match of the series, with a decision on this likely to be made next week.
“A couple of weeks ago, did he think he had a chance (to play in Perth)? Not potentially, he was a bit nervous,” McDonald told reporters.
“Then you move it forward two weeks and there is a lot of positivity. We still have a little further to go.
“(Cummins) has the ability to prepare for Test matches despite little preparation. So if that is reduced, we are confident that he will still be able to perform well in the first Test.
“But the reality is, we’re starting to be tight in terms of timing. We’re still hopeful, optimistic, but this time next week, I think we’ll be in a position to have a better idea of where he is.”
McDonald’s also offered incentives marnus labuschagneHe was dropped after Australia’s World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa in June and missed next month’s Caribbean tour.
Labuschagne averaged 59.05 with 10 centuries in his first 32 Test matches, but that number dropped to 31 with a century in his last 26 matches since the start of 2023, which led to his being dropped.
He has scored three centuries in four Sheffield Shield matches to boost his chances of a comeback, and with Cameron Green at number three, Labuschagne’s best route back into the team appears to be to partner with Usman Khawaja at the top of the order.
“We definitely see Marnus as a starting option,” McDonald said. “He has a great record for Australia with three centuries. He is doing all the right things at the moment with three domestic centuries.”
“It’s not necessarily the output we’re looking for. Sometimes he’s going along the way, he’s made subtle changes to his game.
“To see him implement that in the first Shield round is a massive achievement for all the work Marnus has done. Maybe he’s nice and fresh at the moment, he’s making some good decisions around his game.”