Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is confirmed to miss the first Test of the upcoming Ashes 2025, slated to begin from November 21. It is understood that Cummins’ back injury has not healed completely and he might also miss more than one game and maybe ruled out for the series.
In such a scenario, Australia will have to decide on a replacement with little more than a month left for the start of the series. Let’s take a look at three players who are in the reckoning for a spot.
The 28-year-old was a part of the Australia A squad that recent locked horns with India A in a multi-format series. Henry Thornton featured in the second Test match and took a four-wicket haul, of which he took three scalps in three overs and gave India A a scare in their first innings.
He has now also been backed by former Aussie cricketer and coach Simon Katich as a possible replacement for Cummins.
Justifying the choice, Katich was quoted as saying to SEN radio, “He’s only played seven first-class games, but he’s a wicket-taker, and that’s something they might be looking at because we know Pat Cummins cracks games open by taking wickets in bursts of two or three at a time.
Despite promise, Thornton however might not make the cut with other promising names ahead of him.
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With Cummins unavailable, the most natural call would be to add Scott Boland as Australia’s third quick alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The 36-year-old has been unlucky not to become a mainstay despite impressive statistics due to the presence of the top three but walks into the side whenever there’s a crisis. His last Test appearance was in West Indies when off-spinner Nathan Lyon was benched in pacer-friendly conditions.
Neser is another strong contender for a possible spot. He made his debut in Ashes 2021 and has currently looked in great form to make a comeback in the same series since his last appearance in 2022.
Despite always being amongst wickets, Neser have played only two Tests but should surely get a look in with Cummins out.
He picked up six wickets in Queensland’s 2025-26 Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania a few days back. The 35-year-old also enjoyed incredible success in the 2024-25 edition, finishing with 31 wickets at an average of 20.90, including two 5-wicket hauls.
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