MELBOURNE: According to a report in The Age, Steve Smith will captain Australia in the Ashes if regular skipper Pat Cummins remains sidelined with a back injury. Selection chair George Bailey confirmed that the leadership plan remains unchanged, describing it as “business as usual.” Cummins, who is undergoing rehabilitation, is expected to travel with the squad and continue his bowling workload during the series buildup.
The report also stated that Cameron Green was withdrawn from the ODI squad to face India due to side soreness, with Marnus Labuschagne drafted in as his replacement. Bailey said scans had cleared Green of a strain and that playing upcoming Sheffield Shield rounds for Western Australia would be the best preparation for his allrounder role in the Ashes.
Smith, who recently returned from New York, is set to play the next two Shield matches for New South Wales in Brisbane and Sydney. Agencies
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