Ashes Mailbag: Cummins still out, Khawaja on the brink

Menners opens the Ashes Mailbag with breaking squad news as Pat Cummins’ fitness clouds the Second Test and Usman Khawaja’s place comes under serious scrutiny. Listener questions drive a wide-ranging episode: from Travis Head’s push to open and why Khawaja is running out of road, to English fan frustration after Perth and a brutal assessment of Bazball’s decision-making. The show also revisits Menners’ infamous 2023 Lord’s rant (and why it’s been re-released), reflects on Phil Hughes’ legacy, and tackles selection debates around Michael Neser, Matt Renshaw, and Mitch Marsh’s fading Test role. A candid, fiery, and deeply cricket-obsessed mailbag. (00:51) Ashes Mailbag begins: Cummins’ Second Test status & Khawaja under pressure(06:07) Mentions from rival pods + why the 2023 Lord’s rant is back(14:16) Phil Hughes: legacy, responsibility, and the opener Australia never had(17:10) English fans unload: Perth fallout & Bazball questioned Cricket Unfiltered Merchandise is Here! We’ve launched our official Cricket Unfiltered merch store thanks to a brilliant partnership with Exactamundo, a longtime supporter of the show. 🛒 Shop now:https://www.chickensaltoftheearth.com/shop/category/Cricket-Unfiltered?c=5469591 🎁 Use Promo Code: CU10 for 10% off your first order! From caps to tees, rep your love of cricket with some top-quality gear. Exactamundo is a video, animation, design and content production company. They produce digital signage, on-screen graphics, sideline animations and videos for sports teams like the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL and numerous American NBA, NFL and MLB teams.  They also create high quality videos and animations for the corporate world, such as product promos and explainer videos. Check them out at exactamundo.com.au Get the inserted AD’s FREE VERSION of the show on our Patreon Page Subscribe to our YouTube page for live streams: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk7koDKpKxe0e3yC7NXQx6Q Linktree for listening on podcast apps and finding us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cricketunfiltered Show twitter: https://twitter.com/auscricketpod Menners on twitter:  https://twitter.com/amenners TIKTOK: @cricketunfiltered Sponsorship enquiries for host read ads: [email protected] Email the show your cricket takes: [email protected] Piccolo Podcasts: https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/ Founder Andrew Menczel. The first episode aired August 2013.  It is a multi award-winning podcast team, the show has featured 15 Australian captains and some of the greatest legends of cricket and an episode is archived in the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. Menners is an accredited cricket journalist and commentator and his interview with Alex Blackwell won a Cricket NSW Media Award. The show was the first ever regular weekly Australian cricket podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices