The Ashes: Australia captain Pat Cummins returns for third England Test in Adelaide

Australia captain Pat Cummins will return for what could be a decisive third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide next week.

The fast bowler missed the first two Tests – which Australia won – because of a back problem.

His addition is the only change to the Australia squad following the eight-wicket win in Brisbane.

Australia need only a draw in Adelaide to retain the Ashes, while victory will mean they win the five-Test series.

England have never come from 2-0 down to win the Ashes.

The third Test starts on 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December).

Cummins has not played since July, but trained with the rest of the squad around the first two Tests.

There was a suggestion he may have played in the second Test, and he took part in a public selection meeting the day before the game, only for Steve Smith to remain in temporary charge.

«He looks like he’s moving really well,» said Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey. «He’s been around the group the whole time with lots of energy.»

The rest of the Australia squad is as expected, with pace bowler Josh Hazlewood absent for the rest of the series because of hamstring and Achilles problems.

Fast bowler Jhye Richardson will also train with Australia in Adelaide as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, with a view to possibly playing later in the series.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon missed out on the team in Brisbane and is expected to return in Adelaide. If Lyon is included along with Cummins, it could mean seamers Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser are left out.

Australia have another decision to make over Usman Khawaja. The left-hander was unable to open in the first Test because of a back problem, which then caused him to miss the second Test.

Travis Head and Jake Weatherald have formed an impressive opening partnership in his absence. Khawaja could therefore be competing with Josh Inglis for a place in the middle order.

While Australia’s players have returned home between Tests, the England squad have taken a break in the beach town of Noosa. They will return to training on Sunday.

In order to get back into the series, England must end a 17-Test winless run in Australia when they take the field at the Adelaide Oval.

Although Australia have won the previous three Ashes series in this country, they squandered a 2-0 lead in England in 2023 to draw 2-2.

«The way we’ve started the series has been good,» said Carey. «To come to Adelaide 2-0 is a good position to be in, but we understand the series is definitely not over.

«You can get into trouble if you start looking at the end of the series in Sydney already.

«We know England are a very good cricket team and we know we were in a position like this in England, then we weren’t able to win that series.

«We’re excited for the opportunity we’ve got, but also understand we have to keep playing good cricket.»