Australia's hopes of regaining the Ashes have taken another blow as captain Pat Cummins is ruled out of the second Test in Brisbane due to a lingering back injury. The 32-year-old fast bowler has been dealing with the issue since July, and while he did bowl in the nets during the first Test in Perth and Sydney, his return to play seems unlikely just yet.
Cummins' absence means that Australia will be forced to field an unchanged attack for the pink-ball Test, which begins on Thursday. The team is expected to stick with its same lineup as the first Test, which saw Mitchell Starc take 10 wickets and help Australia secure a surprise victory.
However, one spot in the lineup is under scrutiny - that of opener Usman Khawaja. He was not fit enough to open the batting in either innings during the first Test and his place may be put under threat by Josh Inglis, who has been performing well for Cricket Australia XI.
Meanwhile, England have opted against sending any of their first-Test XI to play a two-day pink-ball match between England Lions and the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Saturday. The tourists are instead arranging two extra training sessions before heading to Brisbane for the second Test.
The lack of Cummins and Hazlewood will be a significant blow to Australia's chances, but they do have a good chance of retaining their unbeaten record at the Gabba since 1986. This could all change if they drop Khawaja or make any further changes to the lineup.
Cummins' absence means that Australia will be forced to field an unchanged attack for the pink-ball Test, which begins on Thursday. The team is expected to stick with its same lineup as the first Test, which saw Mitchell Starc take 10 wickets and help Australia secure a surprise victory.
However, one spot in the lineup is under scrutiny - that of opener Usman Khawaja. He was not fit enough to open the batting in either innings during the first Test and his place may be put under threat by Josh Inglis, who has been performing well for Cricket Australia XI.
Meanwhile, England have opted against sending any of their first-Test XI to play a two-day pink-ball match between England Lions and the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Saturday. The tourists are instead arranging two extra training sessions before heading to Brisbane for the second Test.
The lack of Cummins and Hazlewood will be a significant blow to Australia's chances, but they do have a good chance of retaining their unbeaten record at the Gabba since 1986. This could all change if they drop Khawaja or make any further changes to the lineup.
. Losing Cummins and Hazlewood will definitely weaken their attack. I hope Usman can come out of his slump because it's gonna be tough without those two. Josh Inglis seems like a great option though, let's see how he does! 
Australia needs him now more than ever, especially with England comin over and crushin us 
. I just hope they can pull off this win at Gabba without Cummins and Hazlewood, that would be a huge confidence boost for the team 
, hope he recovers soon tho 
, gotta see what the coach decides to do about it
, wonder if they're trying to conserve energy for the big test or just testing out some new strategies 
... pat cummins is out for like what, already? and now you're worried about khawaja's spot in the team? that's like panicking before a game, mate! just stick with the same lineup as the first test and let starc do his thing 
... sounds like australia's got some 'splainin' to do 
, this is like totally not good news for Aussie cricket fans 
! Pat Cummins' back injury is a major blow to their chances of winning the Ashes 
. Without him, their attack just doesn't look as strong 
. Hopefully, they can shake things up and find a winning formula 
.
, so there's still hope 
. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they can pull off this one 
. Who do you think will come out on top in the Ashes? 
️ i mean, they're gonna try to stick with the same lineup but it's hard to see how they'll do without cummins' pace and skill on the field 
i'm not sure what to expect from this match but it's gonna be super intense 
so sad for Cummins hope he recovers soon and gets back to bowling ASAP this pink-ball Test is going to be tough without him and Hazlewood Australia's batting lineup is looking a bit vulnerable atm, not sure how they'll cope with England's bowlers still think Usman Khawaja deserves another chance tho, Josh Inglis is good but he needs to prove himself in Tests 
. With Cummins and Hazlewood missing, our attack is gonna be super vulnerable 
.
. It shows they're focusing all their energy on Brisbane and beating us 
.
this is just another excuse for critics to say theyre not good enough... meanwhile england just sent their second team to a pink ball match lol what are they hiding? also khawaja or inglis is not that big of a deal - aussie batsmen have been struggling all tour and its time for some shake ups
, not good for their chances of winning... hope khawaja gets his act together tho 
what a clever move! 2 extra training sessions instead of riskin injuries 
. And now Usman Khawaja's spot is at risk? That's crazy talk! 
. On the other hand, England not sending any of their XI to play in Canberra seems like a sneaky move 
. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out 
and it's like, Australia's whole vibe is gonna be off 
or they're gonna get smashed 
by england 
don't even get me started on khawaja 
️ and if they drop him, it's like... what's next? 
Josh Inglis might be the savior