Australian captain Pat Cummins has officially been ruled out of the Adelaide Test match against the West Indies, with Ashes hero Scott Boland returning to the starting XI for the first time since January.
Cummins did not bowl in the second innings of the series opener at Perth Stadium after sustaining a minor quad injury and has not recovered in time for the pink-ball contest in the South Australian capital, which gets underway on Thursday afternoon.
Steve Smith will captain Australia in Cummins’ absence, the second time he has led the country since his two-year leadership ban expired.
“Team medical staff commenced Cummins’ recovery in Adelaide but selectors deemed there was not sufficient time for the fast bowler to be fully fit for the match, which starts tomorrow,” Cricket Australian said in a statement.
Cummins, who also missed last year’s Adelaide Test due to a Covid-19 scare, is expected to return for the series opener against South Africa in Brisbane, which commences on December 17.
Boland became a household name last summer after taking 6/7 on Test debut against England in the MCG Boxing Day Test.
The Victorian seamer currently boasts an extraordinary Test bowling of 9.55, snaring 18 wickets in three Tests last summer.
“His confidence is up and so it should be,” Australian teammate Nathan Lyon said of Boland on Tuesday.
“His skill set has always been at the top in my eyes. He hits me in the pad for fun when I play him in state cricket.
“But what I see in Scott now is his confidence level has gone up a little.”
Earlier this week, West Australia’s Lance Morris and Queensland’s Michael Neser were rushed into Australia’s Test squad as bowling reinforcement.
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood bowled 45 and 43 overs respectively in the Perth Test, but both are expected to play in Adelaide despite the short turnaround.
The second Test between Australia and the West Indies gets underway at Adelaide Oval on Thursday afternoon, with the first ball scheduled for 3pm AEDT.
