England on Tuesday named a 16-man squad for the Ashes series starting in Australia in November with Ben Stokes, who is currently nursing a shoulder injury, set to return to lead the side.
Australia's Travis Head finished as the leading scorer of the Ashes series with 629 runs from five Tests, including three centuries.
Cameron Green and Alex Carey guided Australia to an emphatic five-wicket victory against England, to claim the series 4-1, on Day 5 of the fifth Ashes Test on Thursday.
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
'I think it's a huge credit to (head coach) Andrew McDonald, the coaching staff and the medical staff that we feel like we've got a big squad that we can draw on.'
England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
'We've just got to stand up in them certain situations, read the game slightly better (and) just have a little bit of grit and determination about you.'
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting tips confident England to pose real Ashes threat.
He has since returned for key assignments, including the 2022 T20 World Cup victory and both the Ashes and ODI World Cup campaigns in 2023.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged Australia's Usman Khawaja to retire on his own terms
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
McDonald also said the selectors would consider a Test recall for Mitch Marsh, even if Australia's white-ball captain said last week he would be watching the Ashes series beer in hand.
Cummins is also unlikely to feature in the first Ashes Test, starting November 21 in Perth, and in that scenario former skipper Smith will captain Australia.
While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
Chasing a world record 435 runs to win, England were reduced to 207 for six at stumps on Day 4 of the third Test, still 228 runs short of victory
'They're all going to score because they are naturally gifted players but the real high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid it hasn't worked.'
Australia's Travis Head says he is prepared to open the batting once more against England during the ongoing Ashes series after his second innings display in the first Test in Perth last week led the home side to an eight-wicket victory over the tourists.
Usman Khawaja picked as Australia announce squad for Sydney Test against England
Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
Australia's white-ball captain Pat Cummins will miss the opening matches of IPL 2026 due to a back injury, forcing Sunrisers Hyderabad to appoint a temporary leader. India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will take charge in his absence, with Abhishek Sharma named vice-captain.
Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has warned against flattening surfaces to maximise five-day revenue as England's aggressive "Bazball" approach looms.
'My body feels great right now, I am very confident of getting through all five (Tests) without any dramas.'
Batters Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox have been axed while seamer Saqib Mahmood could not retain his place either.
Australia arrive in Pakistan for three-match T20I series ahead of T20 World Cup
Steve Smith and Travis Head hit centuries to help Australia dominate the third day's play by stretching their lead against England in the fifth and final Ashes Test.
England Captain Ben Stokes was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Australia's No.3 Marnus Labuschagne, an incident that drew strong reactions from former players in the commentary box.
Labuschagne underlined the cricket adage that "catches win matches", while England counted the cost of dropped chances in Adelaide.
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
Jonathan Trott, after concluding his tenure as Afghanistan coach, expresses his desire to coach the England cricket team, a role he would cherish.
Spinner Todd Murphy has been called into the Australia squad in place of the injured Nathan Lyon for this week's fourth Ashes Test, while captain Pat Cummins will skip the rest of the series as his back issue is managed.
Josh Hazlewood wants to continue playing international cricket in all formats despite missing the entire Ashes series because of injury.
Captain Ben Stokes brushed off concerns about England's Ashes preparations on Wednesday, saying there was no way the squad could prepare in the same way touring teams of the past had, given the demands of the modern game.
Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped from the Test side during the tour of West Indies in June-July, has since hit three centuries in one-dayers and a couple more in Sheffield Shield for Queensland.
Australia's 3-0 T20I whitewash by Pakistan has underlined the world champions' World Cup concerns, with Josh Hazlewood unlikely to be fit for the early matches, Pat Cummins admits.
The Melbourne Cricket Club has launched an exhibition celebrating the life, career and enduring legacy of spin great Shane Warne.
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory.
England pacer Mark Wood feels Australia will start as favourites in the upcoming Ashes series, but insists that there is a "quiet confidence" within the English camp about doing well in the marquee contest, starting later this month.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha was run out in bizarre fashion by Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the second ODI in Dhaka on Friday.
The Ashes could be decided within days at an Adelaide Oval furnace where England's hopes of wresting back the urn will fire anew or flame out entirely against a strengthened Australia.
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