Australia Brings Back Star Player Ahead of Crucial Third Test

The Ashes will now get more intense, as the third Test is scheduled to take place tomorrow. England had already announced its team yesterday with one change. And now, Australia has also named its playing XI for the next game, with some crucial changes for the win.

Australia and England are now gearing up for the third Test, which will start from tomorrow. Both teams will be looking forward to this game as a must-win in the series. Australia is already on a 2-0 lead in the series, and a win in this game will allow them to win the series. On the other hand, England also eyes a win in the next game to stand a chance for the series win.

For this, England had already named its playing XI for the third Test match, which had one change. And when it came to Australia, fans knew the team would be making a change but they decided to go on with two changes in the team. So, which already won the first two tests.

1. Australia Announces Change in Playing XI

Australia had gone with an all pace attack in the second Test match at Brisbane. Due to this reason, the team had continued with the same line-up as that of the first game, with Nathan Lyon not being a part of the team. And now, , as one was a compulsory change for them.

Pat Cummins missed out on the first two games, as he was recovering from the injury he sustained in the Tests against the West Indies. And now, he has been fully recovered, marking his way back to the team. This also means that Steve Smith, who was the stand-in captain of the team, won't be leading them in the third Test match.

, which is a positive news for the Australian side. With the match being played at Adelaide, Nathan Lyon will be playing a crucial role for Australia with his spin bowling. As Lyon and Cummins come back to the team, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett are the players who have been replaced.

Brendan Doggett was the second highest wicket-taker for Australia in the first two Tests. He took 7 wickets at an average of 30.71 in 4 innings. Michael Neser played just one match for the team, and he was able to take 6 wickets in the same. With Cummins back in, he would be a great asset to the team's bowling experience, along with Starc.

2. Usman Khawaja's Exclusion

Usman Khawaja was a part of the team in the first Test match. But he didn't play for the team in that game, as he suffered with back spasms. Along with that, Khawaja was also ruled out of the second game at Brisbane, as Jake Weatherald and Travis Head opened for the team.

For the third Test, . But he has still been excluded from the side. To this, Pat Cummins said, “Yeah, potentially. I think the selectors have been quite adamant that we’re picking a side each week, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s got to be exactly the same team as the previous week.”

He further continued, “We do that with the bowlers, this week, obviously, Nathan Lyon’s coming back in, he missed last week. One of Uzzie’s (Khawaja) great strengths is that he has scored runs at the top, he scored runs in the middle. If we didn’t think he’d be good enough to come straight in, then he wouldn’t be here in the squad. So absolutely, I can see a path back at some point if needed.”

3. Australia Strengthens Bowling Department

With the inclusion of Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to the team, Australia has strengthened its bowling line-up for the third Test. Pat Cummins missed out all the games for the team since the Test series against the West Indies. He was set to be back in the first Test, but he waited to be fully recovered.

Pat Cummins in The Ashes:

• Innings: 36
• Overs: 693.3
• Maidens: 143
• Wickets: 91
• Average: 24.10
• Economy: 3.16
• Five-wicket Hauls: 2

And now, with Cummins coming back, Australia will have another experienced bowler. Mitchell Starc did the job well without having the availability of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. But now, he will have Pat Cummins by his side, who is also known for his experience in the Test format.

Nathan Lyon in The Ashes:

• Innings: 55
• Overs: 1165.3
• Maidens: 253
• Wickets: 110
• Average: 29.50
• Economy: 2.78
• Five-wicket Hauls: 2

Along with that, Nathan Lyon has also been included to the team. He was also a part of the Australian team when they faced India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 at Adelaide Oval. But in that game, Lyon had bowled just one over, as the pacers were able to do the job well.