Ashes: George Bailey confirms Steve Smith to lead Australia if Pat Cummins misses out

Steve Smith

Steve Smith will lead Australia in this year's Ashes if regular Test skipper Pat Cummins fails to recover from his back injury, confirmed selection chair George Bailey.

The injury has ruled Cummins out of the white-ball series against India beginning with the first ODI in Perth on Sunday.

He is also unlikely to feature in the first Ashes Test, starting November 21 in Perth, and in that scenario former skipper Smith will captain Australia. "If Pat doesn't play, Smudge [Smith] will captain. That's business as usual for us. That formula has worked," Bailey was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

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