Australia’s hopes for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy were dealt a significant blow on Thursday with the announcement that captain Pat Cummins and senior pacer Josh Hazlewood would not be available for the tournament due to injuries.
Pat Cummins, who had been struggling with an ankle injury towards the end of the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India, has not recovered in time for the Champions Trophy. Hazlewood, on the other hand, is still recuperating from a calf strain that has kept him sidelined. Hazlewood’s last appearance was in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Brisbane, which ended in a draw.
Australia will need to make four changes to their preliminary squad for the upcoming #ChampionsTrophy with confirmation skipper Pat Cummins and fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of the tournamenthttps://t.co/zYgCBUQb0v
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 6, 2025
The absence of these two key bowlers follows the unexpected retirement of all-rounder Marcus Stoinis from ODIs and the withdrawal of Mitchell Marsh due to his ongoing back injury.
Marcus Stoinis has called time on his ODI career #SLvAUS #ChampsTrophy https://t.co/XQ6s5p8Tv7
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 6, 2025
Selection Dilemma for the Aussies:
National selection panel chairman George Bailey expressed disappointment at the situation but emphasized that it also presented an opportunity for other players to step up.
In Cummins’ absence, the responsibility of leadership could fall to either Steve Smith or Travis Head, both of whom have experience leading the team in the past. Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign kicks off on February 22 against rivals England in Lahore.
IPL and WTC Final hopes are in danger:
Both Cummins and Hazlewood are expected to take an extended period to recover. This raises concerns about their availability for the Indian Premier League (IPL), where Cummins is set to captain Sunrises Hyderabad, and Hazlewood was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a hefty fee of Rs 12.50 crore.
After the Champions Trophy, Australia’s next major assignment will be the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord’s in June. The team will hope that their key bowlers are fit in time to compete in the prestigious match.
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