Cummins bowled on the outfield ahead of the game on Days 3 and 4 in Adelaide and will do so again on Tuesday.
“Pat continues to improve, bowled with freedom on Saturday and looks likely to play this game, although Josh will need more time,” said national selector George Bailey. “With that in mind, we have kept Michael Neser and Lance Morris in the squad for this competition.
“Michael bowled fantastically in Adelaide as was Scott. We were impressed as always with their performances which backed up what they have achieved in the past. Lance is a very exciting candidate who will benefit from time with the side With so much cricket ahead, we continue to look for opportunities to grow and maintain our fast-bowling experience and depth.”
For Hazlewood there are unfortunate similarities to last season when he suffered a side strain in the Ashes’ opening game and was subsequently ruled out of the series. The hope this time is that he will get the chance to play in Melbourne or Sydney, but the turnaround during the series is very tight.
Neser and Boland’s performances in Adelaide highlighted the depth of pace bowling Australia has to offer.
“Lance Morris was in the side, most guys aren’t too keen on seeing him in the nets. We’ll use that chance at the Gabba on a few quicker wickets which will be nice. Our stocks are great so we’ll keep things really competitive.” “
Marcus Harris retains his place as backup batter.
Australia squad David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Marcus Harris, Lance Morris
