Australia announce playing XI for third Ashes Test

Sydney: Australia have announced their playing XI for the third Test of the Ashes series, making two changes to the side.

According to Cricket Australia, captain Pat Cummins has returned to the playing XI, while veteran spinner Nathan Lyon has also been included in the team. Cummins had missed the first two Tests of the Ashes series due to a back injury.

Fast bowlers Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett have been left out of the final XI, while senior batter Usman Khawaja has once again been overlooked despite having fully recovered from a back issue sustained during the Perth Test.

Cricket Australia confirmed that Khawaja is now fully fit but has not been recalled for the Adelaide encounter.

The third Test of the Ashes series is set to begin tomorrow in Adelaide. Australia currently lead the five-match series 2–0.

On the other hand, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced its men’s team’s playing XI for the must-win third Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled to commence on December 17 here at the Adelaide Oval.

The touring side, trailing 2-0 in the blockbuster five-match away series, made just one change to their lineup, replacing Gus Atkinson with Josh Tongue.

Atkinson has been struggling on the Australia tour as he could pick up three wickets in the first two fixtures at a dismal bowling average of 78.66, the worst amongst the England bowlers.

Meanwhile, Tongue, who has represented England in six Tests since making his debut in 2023, has taken 31 wickets in the longest format at an average of 30.

His last appearance for the Three Lions came in the final match of the home Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India, concluded in August, while he last played against Australia at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in the last Ashes, where he picked up five wickets across the two innings, including dismissing Steve Smith twice.

Although Tongue only managed to take two wickets in the tour matches, England prioritised him over Shoaib Bashir despite an anticipated spin-friendly pitch, due to which Australia brought back their experienced spinner Nathan Lyon.

Notably, despite their struggles in the batting department, England decided against making any changes after head coach Brendon McCullum publicly backed their top seven.

England Playing XI: ⁠Zak Crawley,⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, ⁠Joe Root, Harry Brook, ⁠Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), ⁠Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, ⁠Jofra Archer and ⁠Josh Tongue.