Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins recently picked the best playing XI he has played with for the national team in the longer format of the game. In a podcast with Willow Talk Cricket Podcast, Cummins ignored players like Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Johnson, and Tim Paine in his selection for the best XI.
Cummins is set to miss the 2025-26 Ashes opener in Perth on November 21 due to his ongoing back injury.
There is a strong chance he could be sidelined for most, if not all, of the upcoming series, with Steve Smith expected to take over the captaincy. Cummins also missed the recent T20I series in New Zealand.
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Pat Cummins Names His Best XI from Australia’s Test Teammates
When asked to pick the playing XI he has played with for Australia in Tests, Pat Cummins picked David Warner as one of the openers along with Travis Head. The right-arm fast bowler backed Head to open the innings despite playing in the middle order during red-ball matches.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting followed the two left-handed openers at No. 3, followed by modern-day great Steve Smith at No. 4. Ponting is the leading run-getter for Australia in Tests with 13,378 runs, while Smith is fourth with 10,477 runs.
Michael Clarke, who captained the team in Cummins’ maiden Test, came in next. Cummins went for Michael Hussey at No. 6, who played several memorable knocks during the side’s dominant run. Hussey scored 6,235 in 79 Tests at an average of 51.53, including 19 centuries and 29 half-centuries.
Pat Cummins Snubs Mitchell Johnson in His Best Test XI
Cummins went with Alex Carey as wicketkeeper-batter ahead of Tim Paine, Matthew Wade, and Brad Haddin. He picked three pacers and one spinner for the bowling attack of his Best Test XI.
The fast bowler selected Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, and Josh Hazlewood as his pacers. He backed Nathan Lyon as the lone spinner in the attack. Lyon is third among Australia’s leading wicket-takers in Tests, with 562 wickets to his name.
Pat Cummins Best Test XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh (12th man)
Pat Cummins is Currently Out of Action Due to Injury
Pat Cummins is currently out of action due to a stress injury in his lower back, and his recovery is taking longer than initially expected. The 32-year-old has been dealing with a lumbar bone stress issue since the conclusion of the West Indies series earlier this year and has not bowled a single delivery since then.
Cummins has also been ruled out of the upcoming limited-overs fixtures against India at home. He has led Australia to consecutive World Test Championship finals, securing the title in 2023.
Despite his absence, Australia’s pace attack remains strong, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood confirmed as starters for the upcoming Perth Test. Scott Boland is now expected to slot in as the third seamer, having established himself as a dependable option in recent summers.
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