Australian-born bowler Dan Worrall joined England’s final nets session ahead of the third Ashes Test wearing a Three Lions shirt in an apparent light-hearted show of his allegiance.
Worrall, a Surrey team-mate of five members of the England squad, was a surprise net bowler with Ben Stokes’s side at their final training session at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
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Worrall, 34, has played three ODIs for Australia and played many years of state cricket in Adelaide, but now qualifies for England. Despite an excellent county record, he was overlooked for this tour.
However, the pace bowler was able to lend a helping hand to preparations as England attempt to become the first team in 90 years to overturn a 2-0 Ashes deficit. He did so with a stunt that will not go unnoticed Down Under, particularly given his previous appearances for the Australian national team, by wearing the 1998 England shirt, infamously worn by David Beckham at the World Cup.
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Worrall has not been a stranger to controversy in the past and this latest effort appears to be a prank of his own mischievous making. He served a suspension in 2014 after admitting to defacing a pitch by “scratching an image of a penis and testicles into a wicket”, according to a Cricket Australia disciplinary verdict, an offence that was committed when he was 22 years old in a Futures League match against Victoria.
Meanwhile, England’s hopes of levelling the series have not been helped by the rapid return of Australian captain Pat Cummins.
Cummins has been out since July with a back stress injury, but has returned to full fitness in Adelaide and will lead Australia, who lead 2-0. His team made two changes, with Cummins and Nathan Lyon returning in place of Michael Neser – despite his five-wicket haul in Brisbane – and Brendan Doggett.
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That meant no place for Usman Khawaja, the opener who turns 39 on Thursday and has regained full fitness after missing the Brisbane Test with a back injury.
England confirmed two days out that they would make just one change, with Josh Tongue in for Gus Atkinson.
Only one team – Sir Donald Bradman’s Australians of 1936-37 have ever won the Ashes having been 2-0 down, and Stokes said that the desperate situation makes the third Ashes Test the most important of his captaincy.
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As a result, Stokes said he had “used his voice” more in the lead-up to this game than at any other time in his captaincy.
“Yeah, definitely,” said Stokes when asked if this was the biggest game of his captaincy. “Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in quite a few big moments. This is another one and I’m really, really looking forward to it. I’ve enjoyed the build-up, I’ve enjoyed the pressure of what this game means.
“As it’s come closer and closer, it’s become a lot easier. That’s how I deal with big things and big moments – look at it front on, take it on and deal with all the emotions that come with it, because what else are you supposed to do? Don’t let the moment overcome me or feel like it’s going to control me. I’ll go out, out all that stuff to one side and do what I need to do in every situation I get put in, and try my absolute best.
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“There are a few things I felt the group needed to hear, but also a few things I felt like I needed to say to be able to go out there with a very clear head about this week. I’ve definitely left no stone unturned in terms of the mental side of the game, and what we’re going into. Expectations around what we want to see this week – I’ve spoken a lot about fight, determination and grit over the last couple of days. I hope we’re going to see a completely different thing, purely because of the situation we find ourselves in here.”
On his home ground, Travis Head will open the batting again, with Josh Inglis retained in the middle order, meaning this could signal the end of Khawaja’s 85-Test career. Of Khawaja, Cummins said, “absolutely I can see a path back at some point if needed” but there is little doubt his Test career is hanging by a thread.
Usman Khawaja may not have a chance to add to his 85-Test career – Getty Images/William West
Cummins has taken the “aggressive” route to recovery from his back injury.
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“[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.
“I first found out [about the injury] in the West Indies. I got an initial scan that showed something brewing, and four weeks later I had another scan and it looked a bit more serious.
“We know the pathway you need to come back from a stress injury like that. I had 16 weeks completely off bowling, making sure the bone healed really well. Normally from there it’s ramping up over three or four months, but that would have meant I miss the Ashes, so we settled on a pretty aggressive plan to get up in six or seven weeks. I haven’t had any hiccups and am feeling great, better than I would have thought. The back has healed well, so here we are.
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“I was asked a million times in the off season if I’d play, and I genuinely didn’t know. As long as everything tracked well, I’d be in this position, but I also knew I had to tread lightly around some of these injuries and if there was a flare-up or a setback, I wouldn’t have risked it. I feel I’ve been well managed and well supported.”
Ahead of the match, tributes will be paid to the victims of Sunday’s Bondi terror attacks, and both teams will wear black armbands.
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