Overview
- The Australia captain bowled off a five-step run-up in a brief Sydney net session, his first since July.
- He remains ruled out of the Perth Ashes opener on November 21 after a lumbar bone-stress injury diagnosed in September.
- Coach Andrew McDonald says he needs roughly four-plus weeks of bowling before he can be considered for Test selection.
- Medical staff will assess how he pulls up before any decision on the Gabba Test on December 4 or the Adelaide Test on December 17.
- Steve Smith will captain in Perth, with Scott Boland the frontrunner to join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the pace attack.