Australia’s preparations for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy are facing significant disruption due to key player injuries and uncertainty surrounding the team’s leadership. Captain Pat Cummins and star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss the tournament due to ongoing injuries, leaving the team without two of their top players.
Selection chair George Bailey confirmed that both Cummins and Hazlewood have not recovered in time for the Champions Trophy, explaining that they are dealing with persistent injuries.
In addition to these setbacks, Mitchell Marsh is sidelined with a back injury, and Marcus Stoinis has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals. As a result, Australia will need to make at least four changes to the squad initially named on January 13.
The team has until February 12 to finalize its roster, which will align with the start of a two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
To compensate for these absences, Australia has brought in pacers Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, and Ben Dwarshuis, along with spin and batting reinforcements in Tanveer Sangha, Cooper Connolly, and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
With Cummins unavailable, Steve Smith and Travis Head are the leading candidates to step into the captaincy role. Coach Andrew McDonald stated that the team has been having discussions with both players as they prepare for the tournament.
As Australia gets ready for their February 22 clash with England, South Africa, and Afghanistan, these leadership and squad adjustments will be crucial to their hopes of winning back the Champions Trophy, which they last claimed in 2009.
