41 h. ago Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan

Plot twists have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included in the hosts’ squad just under a month out from the first TestThe Great Australian Bat Off has returned for a brand new season with fresh faces and forgotten favourites bidding to join the cast for the Ashes series opener. In a major subplot, captain Pat Cummins is officially out of the first Test and is all but certain to be replaced by understudy Scott Boland, while the final auditions to claim a spot in the squad will be staged across the Sheffield Shield matches that begin on Tuesday as much as the T20 series against India.The main storyline will be familiar to seasoned fans as the Australia selectors largely repeat last year’s search for an opener to partner Usman Khawaja. But the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne, and injury concerns for Cameron Green and Beau Webster, are plot twists that have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included for the Perth Test. Continue re...

Politics

44 h. ago Pat Cummins ruled out of first Ashes Test in major blow for Australia

The Australia captain has not recovered in time from a long-term back injury

Politics

45 h. ago Pat Cummins ruled out of first Ashes Test, with Steve Smith to captain Australia

Bowler resumes running but will not make series opener in Perth32-year-old says he ‘expects to return to bowling shortly’Pat Cummins is officially out of the first Ashes Test as he continues his recovery from a stress injury in his back, with Steve Smith to reassume the captaincy of Australia in the series opener against England next month.Cummins has not bowled since Australia’s 3-0 series defeat of West Indies in July and had been in serious doubt for the match in Perth on 21 November. After months of speculation over whether he would recover in time, Cricket Australia on Monday finally confirmed that the quick would have to sit out the game at Optus Stadium. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago The Spin | Beware the quiet man: Ashes folklore is littered with unlikely names stepping up

Cummins’ absence is not quite cause for unfettered English celebration – Boland has ripped them apart beforeHave you heard about Big Pat’s back? You must have by now. The eyes and ears of the cricketing world are zeroed in on a locus of around 10 inches of Pat Cummins’ lumbar region. Hushed whispers about the Australia Test captain’s “stress injury” after his side’s tour of West Indies in July became a rumbling concern as the weeks passed and there was no reassuring statement from the Cummins camp. Ideally it would have been delivered by the man himself with a megawatt smile, just letting everyone know that he was locked in for full part in the Ashes series.By contrast, earlier this week a more circumspect Cummins put his chances of playing at Perth in the first Test on 21 November as “probably less likely than likely”. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Pat Cummins: Australia captain 'surprised' by reports he could miss entire Ashes series

It had been suggested that lingering back problem would definitely rule skipper out of First Test and potentially all five

Politics

2 w. ago Australia handed huge Ashes blow as Pat Cummins faces series

Pat Cummins has been struggling with a back injury throughout the year and scans have confirmed that the issue has still not healed, with the Australia captain potentially missing the entire Ashes series

Politics

2 w. ago Pat Cummins to miss first Ashes Test and possibly whole series – reports

The Wallabies captain has been sidelined with a back problem.

Politics

2 w. ago Australia dealt brutal Ashes blow as Pat Cummins could miss 'entire series' vs England

The latest edition of the Ashes gets underway in Perth next month but the current holders Australia have been hit with what could be a huge blow in their preparations for the series

Economics

2 w. ago Pat Cummins expected to miss first Ashes Test as doubts grow over fitness for entire series

Australia captain set to be ruled out of opener against England in PerthStar quick yet to return to bowling as he recovers from back injuryAustralia captain Pat Cummins is expected to miss the Ashes opener in Perth as doubts grow around his availability for the entire Test series against England.Cummins has been sidelined with a back injury that the latest scan revealed has not yet healed. Continue reading...

Politics