After a two-wicket win at Edgbaston and a 43-run victory at Lord’s, Australia were in the driving seat to seal the Ashes 2023 series heading into the third Test at Headingley. However, the Pat Cummins-led side suffered a three-wicket defeat at the hands of England in Leeds.

After the loss, Cummins refused to guarantee the selection of veteran opener David Warner for the fourth Test in Manchester, saying that the team management would keep all their options open.

Warner’s Test form has been a cause of concern since 2022. In fact, his selection for the Ashes series was also widely debated and the southpaw has failed to live up to the expectations so far, registering scores of 9, 36, 66, 25, 4 and 1 from six innings.

“We’ll keep all our options open. We’ve got nine or 10 days now, so we’ll take a deep breath."

“We’ll go away for a few days but everyone comes back into it. Greeny should be fit for Manchester, we should have a full roster. So we’ll have a look at the wicket, have a chat and work out the best XI,” said Cummins, as quoted by Fox Sports.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh replaced injured Cameron Green in the playing XI at Headingley, smashing run-a-ball 118 when the Aussies were in dire straits at 85/4 on a green pitch after being asked to bat first.

When asked if Marsh would be dropped from the side despite scoring a century, Cummins said: “It’s possible, but it was a pretty impressive week wasn’t it?”

The fourth Ashes Test is due to get underway on July 19 at Old Trafford.