{"id":382,"date":"2025-12-23T14:26:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=382"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:53:43","slug":"pat-cummins-out-of-ashes-as-t20-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/pat-cummins-out-of-ashes-as-t20-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Pat Cummins Out of Ashes as T20 World Cup Hopes in Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia\u2019s Ashes celebrations have been tempered by a major blow to their leadership and bowling stocks. Captain Pat Cummins has been officially ruled out of the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, serious doubts have emerged regarding his availability for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, scheduled for February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Effective but Costly Move<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pat Cummins\u2019 return for the third Test at Adelaide proved to be a high-risk but decisive move that ultimately sealed the Ashes for Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After missing the opening two Tests in Perth and Brisbane because of a lumbar stress reaction sustained in July, Cummins came back emphatically, claiming a superb six-wicket haul.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His impact played a crucial role in Australia\u2019s 82-run victory, giving them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">T20 World Cup Participation: Unclear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most concerning aspect of the update is Cummins&#8217; status for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Cummins captains the Test and ODI sides, he remains a vital component of the T20 squad led by Mitchell Marsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonald admitted the situation is currently uncertain. &#8220;Looking forward to the World Cup, whether he&#8217;ll be there or not, I can&#8217;t really say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s quite grey at the moment. We&#8217;re hopeful, but we need more information from scans,&#8221; the coach added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This uncertainty also casts a shadow over his upcoming stint in <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/ipl-2026-players-retentions-update\/\">IPL 2026<\/a>, where he is slated to captain Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steve Smith Back as Captain Following Squad Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Cummins and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon (torn hamstring) both sidelined for the remainder of the summer, Australia has named a refreshed 15-man squad for the Boxing Day Test:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Captaincy:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/steve-smith-ruled-out-of-adelaide-test\/\">Steve Smith<\/a> will resume the captaincy after missing the Adelaide Test due to vertigo symptoms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Spinner:<\/strong> Todd Murphy replaces Nathan Lyon and is set to play his first home Test at his home ground, the MCG.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Pace Attack:<\/strong> Jhye Richardson has been recalled following a four-year absence and three shoulder surgeries. He will battle Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser for the final bowling spot alongside &#8220;freak&#8221; performer Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Australia aims for a 5-0 whitewash, the management&#8217;s focus has clearly shifted to &#8220;putting Cummins on ice&#8221; to ensure their premier fast bowler survives for the global tournaments ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":383,"template":"","tags":[210,213,212],"ppma_author":[493],"class_list":["post-382","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ashes-series","tag-australia-cricket-news","tag-pat-cummins-out-of-ashes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}