Australia will be without captain Pat Cummins after the pacer was identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. With the second Ashes Test beginning on Thursday, Steve Smith is back as the Australian captain.
It will be Smith’s first appearance as captain since the Cape Town, South Africa ball-tampering scandal in 2018 which cost him the captaincy and a subsequent two-year leadership ban as well as a 12-month suspension from representing Australia.
Less than three hours before the toss for the day-night test at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, Cricket Australia said in a statement that Cummins had been exposed to the COVID-19 case when he was dining in a restaurant the previous night and he hadn’t breached any biosecurity protocols.
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