3 players who can replace Pat Cummins in the Australian playing XI for Melbourne Boxing Day Test vs England | Ashes 2025-26

the Ashes 2025-26 The famous urn has been preserved in Australian hands to this day. A A clinical 3-0 lead was formed in Adelaide On visitors England. However, the jubilant mood leading up to the famous Boxing Day Test clash at the MCG, starting on December 26, is tempered by the captain Pat cumin“Strategic caution.

Cummins now faces a pivotal medical decision point. Long-term management of lumbar stress injury requires cold, calculated logic. With the series locked down, the risk of a festive collapse is extremely high. “I doubt I’ll play for Melbourne.” The exhausted commander confessed to the press. His absence leaves a huge void in the world’s most feared bowling unit. The Nationals selectors will now look to select a successor to maintain the 5-0 whitewash.

“I doubt I’ll play (in) Melbourne.”

🗣️ Pat Cummins is on it #ash Availability pic.twitter.com/fm5ISOt1ON

– 7cricket (@7cricket) December 21, 2025

Ashes 2025-26: 3 leading candidates to replace Pat Cummins in Melbourne for Boxing Day Test match against England

Three hungry competitors now stand ready to storm the hallowed MCG turf. Here are the leading candidates to replace Cummins this Boxing Day.

1. J. Richardson

The most significant development leading up to the Boxing Day Test is the report from Code Sports Australia confirming this J Richardson He left his BBL commitments with Perth Scorchers To fly directly to Melbourne. The move suggests he is the prime target to replace Pat Cummins. Richardson has spent the past four years struggling with shoulder and soft tissue injuries, but his recent form suggests he has rediscovered his elite rhythm.

• Numbers: Richardson recently dismantled the England Lions Australia Aand finished with figures of 4/35 while recording constant speeds of 140 km/h.
• Lineage: He is no stranger to Ashes heroics, having taken 5/42 in the second innings of the 2021 Adelaide Test to secure an Australian win.
• Tactical compatibility: His “gliding” path and natural outside swing are a perfect match for the MCG, where a drop pitch often rewards bowlers who can extract life through sheer pace and a lower release point.

2. Michael Eagle

If selectors choose reliability and control of the initial pace, Michael Nasr He is the undisputed favourite. Eagle has already made a huge impact this summer, justifying his call-up with The first Test five-wicket haul During the second test in Brisbane. He could be the most ‘Cummins-like’ bowler in the domestic circuit due to his relentless accuracy and ability to move the ball in both directions.

• Numbers: The Nesser has been the gold standard of Sheffield armor, boasting an exceptional average of 21.00 During the past two seasons. In the current 2025/26 Ashes series, he already has a five-wicket haul to his name.
• Lineage: With more 100 wicket shield With its growing international reputation, it is a “plug and play” option that requires no adjustment period.
• Tactical compatibility: Neser provides elite-level swing and serves as a “true” all-rounder at No. 8, potentially softening the blow dealt by Cummins’ absence.

Read also: England captain Ben Stokes talks about another Ashes series defeat in Australia

3. Brendan Doggett

Brendan Doggett represents the ‘current’ depth of the current squad, having made his much-anticipated Test debut in the series opener in Perth earlier this summer. Doggett, a tall, fast bowler from Queensland, provides the ‘heavy ball’ that the Australian captains crave to break stubborn midfield partnerships.

• Numbers: While his total of wickets fell short of Neser’s, Doggett’s role was to hit the deck hard and maintain pressure, often bowling at speeds in excess of 142 km/h to unsettle England’s top order.
• Lineage: His rise through the Indigenous XI and the Sheffield Shield has been built on endurance. He is capable of bowling long and tiring 7-8 overs in required overs if the MCG pitch proves to be a flat ‘road’.
• Tactical compatibility: if Mitchell Stark and Scott Boland Tasked with early swing and seam, Doggett is the perfect ‘outlet’ to throw cross seam and extract reverse swing as the ball makes contact with Melbourne’s abrasive surface.

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