Veteran Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled of the 2025-26 Ashes series owing to injury while Pat Cummins appears certain to lead Australia in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Tuesday (December 9) that Hazlewood, who sustained a hamstring strain while bowling in the Sheffield Shield last month and then suffered a setback when he hurt his Achilles last week, would not feature against England this summer.

Hazlewood will instead focus on recovering in time for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

"Really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn't see coming. We thought he'd play a huge part in the series. But really feel for him that he won't get that opportunity," McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.

Cummins, who was close to make a comeback in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba after his recovery from a lower-back injury, progressed quicker than expected and is almost certain to feature in the third Test.

"There won't be any match opportunities for Pat (before Adelaide) – and this is something we've done with Pat before long-ish layoffs, where we've put some time and effort into rebuilding his body," said McDonald.

"He was out at Allan Border Field whilst everyone was at the Gabba; he simulated pretty much what a match will look like out there with multiple spells.

"So we feel as though he'll be as best prepared as can be. He was well ahead of where we thought he'd be at and it did create a real live conversation for (Cummins playing in) Brisbane.

"It was debated a lot leading into that Test match. With that in mind, us seeing him further advanced, we feel he'll be really well placed for the challenges of Adelaide albeit (it's still) a long way off,” he added.

On the other hand, England's Ashes campaign faces a body blow with speedster Mark Wood being ruled out of the series due to a knee injury.

Wood’s exit leaves the tourists without one of their quickest and most experienced options in Australian conditions. The 35-year-old was expected to play a defining role in the high-pressure middle phase of the series.

In his place, Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been drafted into the squad. Fisher has been training in Australia with the Lions and will join the Test team immediately.

“England and Durham seamer Mark Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes tour of Australia, following a recurrence of the left-knee injury he sustained during the first Test in Perth earlier this month,” ECB said in a statement.

“Wood will return home later this week and work closely with the ECB medical team on his rehabilitation and recovery.

“Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been added to the senior squad and will link up with the group this week, having been in Australia with the Lions,” the statement added.

Having won the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane by eight wickets each, the Australian team holds a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series.