Ashes 2025: Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon out of Boxing Day Test, Jhye Richardson and Todd Murphy in squad
Nathan Lyon will have surgery on his torn hamstring and will miss "an extended period". (Getty Images: Philip Brown)
Australia has named its 15-player squad for the Boxing Day Ashes Test, with captain Pat Cummins confirmed to miss the game and Nathan Lyon set for "an extended period" on the sidelines.
Lyon tore his hamstring while fielding on the final day of the third Test in Adelaide and will require surgery, while Cummins hinted after the series-clinching game that he "doubted" he would play at the MCG as his comeback from a back injury is managed.
West Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson comes into the squad, while Victorian off spinner Todd Murphy has been named, and is a chance to play his eighth Test.
Murphy is the only full-time spinner in the squad and looks likely to earn his first cap on home soil after splitting his seven Tests between India, England and Sri Lanka since taking seven wickets on debut in 2023.
Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy have played together in the subcontinent on a number of occasions. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)
Murphy played two Tests during the 2023 Ashes in England after Lyon went down with a calf injury in the second game at Lord's.
Richardson, meanwhile, is looking to play his fourth Test.
The 29-year-old made his Test debut way back in 2019 and played two games against Sri Lanka, but a run of injuries and the top form of the cartel of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland limited him to just one more game, in Adelaide during the 2021/22 Ashes.
Richardson is no guarantee to play in Melbourne as incumbents Starc and Boland, plus seamers Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, are also in the squad.
Jhye Richardson, who has had problems with his right shoulder, joined some net sessions during the third Test in Adelaide. (Getty Images: Robbie Stephenson/PA Images)
Steve Smith also returns to captain the team, as he did in Cummins's absence for the first two Tests, after missing the Adelaide clash with vertigo.
Usman Khawaja replaced him after initially being left out of the pre-game squad having already missed the second Test in Brisbane with back spasms.
Khawaja scored 122 runs across two innings in Adelaide, including a vital 82 on day one, as Australia locked up the Ashes with an 82-run victory.
The 39-year-old's performance put pressure on Josh Inglis, who has a top score of 32 from three innings in the series since replacing Khawaja in Brisbane.