"How do you fit 7 really good batters and a keeper into a team" - Pat Cummins on Australia's multiple selection headaches ahead of 4th Ashes Test
Australia captain Pat Cummins acknowledged the selection conundrum over multiple positions ahead of the crucial fourth Ashes Test. A win for Australia will not only help them retain the urn but also seal their first Test series win on English soil since 2001.
With only a day to go for the contest, there are still major question marks over certain personnel, including the likes of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Scott Boland, and their counterparts on the sidelines.
Cummins stated that Warner is likely to retain his place at the top of the order despite a poor set of showings in the third Test at Leeds.
Commenting on the opening combination for the fourth Test, Cummins said:
"We’ll chat about it, but I imagine it will stay the same."
Warner lost his wicket to Stuart Broad on both occasions in the third Test, scoring only five runs in total.
Further stating that the selection decision regarding the two all-rounders is a tough one, Cummins elaborated:
“That’s the main change from last week, Cam comes back online. Basically, how do you fit seven really good batters and a keeper into a team or does someone need to miss out?”
Mitchell Marsh, in his first Test appearance since 2019, scored a blistering hundred at Leeds and made a strong case for himself. Cameron Green, on the other hand, has been struggling and has had a mediocre series so far.
"It’s all really conditions based" - Pat Cummins on the bowling combination
Australia have rotated their bowling consistently in the Ashes with skipper Pat Cummins being the constant presence. The likes of Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc have been rested at some point or the other. Todd Murphy also came into the playing XI as a forced change for the injured Nathan Lyon.
Cummins said that the conditions dictate the bowling combination.
“Every situation is different. We’ve played games with one quick [in India], we’ve played some games with heaps of quicks. It’s all really conditions based," he explained.
"As I said last week about Toddy, I would have loved to bowl him a bit more but there wasn’t a heap of overs in the game, the ball seemed to swing and seam a little bit, so that’s certainly something to weigh up this week," the skipper added.
Scott Boland went wicketless in the third Test at Leeds, claiming two wickets in the series opener. The right-arm pacer could potentially be dropped for Josh Hazlewood, who was rested after he played in the first two matches of the series.