Australia were forced into a dramatic last-minute change ahead of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval, with Steve Smith ruled out just before the toss due to illness. The star batter was replaced by Usman Khawaja, who has been recalled to the XI and will bat at No. 4.
Smith’s absence came as a shock on Wednesday morning when he was seen leaving the ground around 20 minutes before the toss. The decision followed a lengthy discussion between Smith, captain Pat Cummins, and head coach Andrew McDonald. Smith had attempted to test his fitness earlier in the day but was ultimately deemed unable to take part.
“Steve has been feeling a little bit unwell the last couple of days,” Cummins said at the toss. “He came in and gave it a crack this morning but didn’t feel like he could get up.”
Cummins, who resumed captaincy duties in Smith’s absence, won the toss and opted to bat first on what he described as a good wicket under clear skies. While England will bowl in challenging conditions, with temperatures expected to rise to 35°C on day one and touch 39°C on day two, Smith’s unavailability removes Australia’s most influential batter from the contest.
Usman Khawaja slots straight into the middle order, strengthening Australia’s top four in Smith’s absence. Khawaja’s recall adds experience and stability at a crucial position as Australia look to seal a 3–0 series lead.
Australia XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Smith’s late withdrawal is one of the biggest talking points of the Test, with Australia now needing to adapt quickly without their premier run-scorer as the Ashes battle continues in Adelaide.
