Pat Cummins Unlikely to Participate in Champions Trophy 2025
Cummins is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the Test series against India.
Australia’s Test and ODI captain, Pat Cummins, is expected to miss the much-anticipated ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, set to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9.
The right-arm pacer, who opted out of Australia’s ongoing Test tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child, is also recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the recent five-match home Test series against India.
Australia’s Champions Trophy-bound players, who are not part of the ongoing red-ball series, are scheduled to depart for Sri Lanka on Thursday. However, head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Wednesday that Cummins is unlikely to travel with them.
With Cummins’ availability in serious doubt, Steve Smith and Travis Head have emerged as the leading candidates to take over the captaincy if he is ruled out.
“Pat Cummins hasn’t resumed bowling yet, so he’s heavily unlikely to play. That means we will need a captain,” McDonald told SEN.
“We’ve been discussing Steve Smith and Travis Head as options while finalizing the Champions Trophy squad. Steve has led the team well in Test cricket and has experience in ODIs too, so it’s between those two.”
Australia is also monitoring the fitness of Josh Hazlewood, who is dealing with a hip issue after recovering from side and calf injuries, which sidelined him for most of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
“Pat is highly unlikely, which is disappointing, and we also have concerns about Josh Hazlewood’s fitness. We’ll receive more medical updates in the coming days before making a final decision,” McDonald added.
Australia has already suffered a setback with Mitchell Marsh, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.
Australia’s Squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
