Melbourne [Australia], December 23 : Skipper Pat Cummins and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon have been left out as Australia on Tuesday announced its 15-member squad for the Boxing Day Test against England in Melbourne starting from December 26.
Off-spinner Todd Murphy and fast bowler Jhye Richardson have been drafted into the squad and will come into contention for the fourth Test of the series, as per the ICC website.
Steve Smith will lead the side in the absence of Cummins, while all-rounders Michael Neser and Beau Webster and back-up quick Brendan Doggett retain their place in the squad despite missing out on selection in the recent Adelaide Test that saw Australia register an 82-run triumph that helped them open up an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes series.
Cummins is rested for the Melbourne Test, having only recently returned from a back injury, with the skipper a chance of appearing in the final Test of the series in Sydney from January 4.
"We had a pretty aggressive build-up knowing that there's an Ashes series. There to be won, and we thought that was worth it," Cummins said after the victory in Adelaide.
"I doubt I'll be playing Melbourne, and then we'll have a chat about Sydney."
Richardson may be considered to replace the Australian skipper, having recently returned from injury and joined the squad in Adelaide prior to the third Test.
The right-armer has only played three Tests throughout his injury-plagued career, and the most recent of those came back in 2021 against England in Adelaide, but selectors rate the 29-year-old highly.
Murphy seems the most logical replacement for Lyon, with the Aussies confirming that the veteran spinner will have surgery on his torn right hamstring and will be sidelined for an extended period.
Murphy has featured seven times at the Test level for Australia, with his most recent match coming at the start of the year against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Australia squad (fourth Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
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