Overview
- Pat Cummins bowled with the pink ball in Sydney nets at Cricket Central during a Sheffield Shield fixture as he pushes to be passed fit for the day-night Test at the Gabba on December 4–8.
- Head coach Andrew McDonald said Cummins’ intensity and ball speed looked strong and described him as nearing the end of rehab, with selection contingent on building bowling resilience.
- Josh Hazlewood returned to training with the red ball but was not at full pace, making a Brisbane comeback unlikely and pointing to Adelaide as the more realistic target.
- Australia’s planning factors in an 11-day gap before Brisbane after the early finish in Perth, followed by tighter turnarounds between Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
- Michael Neser remains in contention after serving as reserve in Perth, while selectors are tracking Jhye Richardson’s workload and the form of Queensland quick Xavier Bartlett.