Usman Khawaja overlooked as Pat Cummins names his XI for the third Test against Ben Stokes and England at Adelaide Oval

“He’s always very adamant he’ll do whatever the team needs and for the last few years we think it’s [batting at] No.5, and he’s happily done that. He’s always thrown it up there – we’ve gone through a few openers over the last couple of years, and he’s said, ‘If you need me, I’m happy to do it’.

“But I think when he was running off at Perth Stadium, and he was demanding, he goes, ‘I think it’s my time, I think it’s me’, and we were like, ‘Go for it’ – that was probably the first time it was OK, he really wants it and thinks this is his opportunity.”

At the same time, Cummins made it clear that there may still be a path back into the team for Khawaja, should circumstances change.

“The selectors have been quite adamant we’re picking a side each week, [and it] doesn’t necessarily mean it’s got to be exactly the same team as the previous week,” Cummins said. “We do that with the bowlers.

“This week Nathan Lyon’s coming back in. One of Uzzy’s great strengths is he’s scored runs at the top and scored runs in the middle. He’s in the squad, if we didn’t think he’d be good enough to come straight in he wouldn’t be here in the squad. So absolutely I can see a path back at some point, if needed.”

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Lyon and Cummins will return to the bowling attack in place of Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser. Cummins’ recall will be for his first game of cricket since the West Indies tour in July, where he first felt discomfort that turned out to be a back stress injury.

“[I’m] good to go. I’ve been bowling 100 per cent for a while,” Cummins said. “If I played in Brisbane I would’ve probably been on limited overs, but this week it’s just go and play like any other Test match.”

Having watched the first two Tests from the sidelines, Cummins expressed confidence that the Australian attack would be able to continue tempting England’s Bazballers into errors outside the off stump.

“That’s what your hope is – that players come over here, and you can nick them off like we have been,” he said. “[I] don’t know if it’s really surprising.

“Like any series you’ve got to adapt, and I’m sure they’ll come out with some different plans and methods for this game, and we’ll try to adapt to that as well but it’ been pretty good to watch so far.”

The third Test starts at Adelaide Oval at 10.30am AEDT Wednesday.

More to come

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