"At a pre-match press conference at The Oval on Wednesday, Cummins stated, 'I think the good thing is that it's a really similar group to 2019. That Manchester (in 2019) was a big win to retain the Ashes, which we hadn't done for a long time off the back of Headingley, even Lord's, where we probably missed a trick last series. 

I felt like that was a big exclamation mark on the end of that series with still one Test match to play.' He added, 'It feels really different here, this group has been really motivated to win the series. We know that it wasn't our best week last week and at the end of the game it was a bit of a pat on the back, 'well done, we've retained the Ashes,' but really it feels like the job's not done.'

The upcoming match could mark the end of an era for the Australia team, as several players are 30 or older. However, opening batsman David Warner, 37 in October, quashed retirement rumors on Tuesday, insisting he intends to finish on home soil early next year.

When asked about managing a transition from one generation to the next, Cummins, the 30-year-old captain, said, 'It's a hard one. I certainly don't want to rush anyone out of the door.' 

He also commented on England veteran paceman Jimmy Anderson's repeated claims that it might be his last Ashes series, saying, 'I think this is about the fourth Ashes series where Jimmy Anderson has said it's going to be his last one, so you never quite know.'

Following England's three-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley and Australia's challenging performance at Old Trafford before rain intervened, Cummins's captaincy received criticism. Former Australia batsman Mark Waugh suggested that the responsibilities of captaincy had made Cummins appear 'tired and frazzled.' 

Waugh questioned whether Cummins is the right man for the long-term captaincy. In response, Cummins received support from England captain Ben Stokes, who said, 'I'm not sure why someone would say he should give it (the captaincy) up. I don't know who has made those comments, but I think he's done a great job for Australian cricket. It's probably a little bit unwarranted from whoever said that -- and that's coming from an Englishman.'"

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