Australia captain Pat Cummins was named in a 15-man team on Wednesday and is set to return for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Australia’s squad from Brisbane, which they won by eight wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, remains unchanged except for Cummins.
Due to a lower back injury, Cummins, 32, has been sidelined since the July tour to the West Indies.
“We feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.
Usman Khawaja, a senior opener under pressure who missed the second Test due to a back injury, was retained in the team for the match, which starts on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval.
For the second Test, Josh Inglis took over for the injured left-hander, but he batted in the middle order as Travis Head moved up to open with Jake Weatherald.
If the dynamic Head opens again on his native Adelaide Oval pitch, McDonald does not rule out a fit-again Khawaja dropping down the order.
In the fourth Test of the 2021–22 Ashes, Khawaja had batted at five and scored a century in each innings (137 and 101 not out) in a draw at Sydney.
“Uzzie should be fit and available, and then we will work out our batting order based on the surface,” McDonald said.
“The assumption is that (Khawaja) can only open as well. He does have flexibility. We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order.”
After being benched at the Gabba for the first time in 12 years at home when Australia chose an all-seam attack, veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has 562 Test wickets, is probably going to make a comeback.
Only one of Scott Boland, Michael Neser, and Brendan Doggett will remain in the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc if Cummins also plays.
After experiencing what the coach described as a “left side niggle” when striking 77 with the bat during Australia’s first innings in Brisbane, Starc, the series’ top wicket-taker with 18, was declared fit by McDonald.
Following Adelaide, the series proceeds to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, with the fifth and final game taking place in Sydney on January 4.
Australia squad for third Test: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
