Cricket Australia on Thursday said skipper Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy starting from February 19 in Pakistan and the UAE due to injury issues. Injury-ravaged Australian team is dealt a severe blow ahead of the Champions Trophy as captain Pat Cummins joined the list of casualties which also includes pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood and all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh.
Australia must name as many as four replacement players ahead of the February 12 deadline to complete their Champions Trophy squad. Cummins was named in the preliminary squad but injured his ankle during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which Australia won 3-1 in January 2025.
Hazlewood, who experienced hip and calf issues in that same series, has now been ruled out with a persistent hip problem. Stoinis revealed his retirement from one-day internationals on February 6, while Marsh was pulled out earlier, failing to recover from a back injury.
Chief selector George Bailey said: “Unfortunately, Pat, Josh, and Mitch are managing ongoing injuries and haven’t recovered in time for the Champions Trophy.” He continued to express that though that was disappointing, it provided an opportunity for other players to shine on a global stage.
With these injuries in mind, a number of fresh faces have been called into the Australian squad for their two-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The team is currently in Sri Lanka competing in the final Test of a two-match series in Galle under the captaincy of Steve Smith.
Head coach Andrew McDonald had revealed earlier that the captain between Smith and Travis Head for the Champions Trophy. Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha added to the Test squad will join the ODI series which starts on February 12 in Colombo.
New inclusions in the ODI squad include top-order batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk, seam-bowling all-rounder Ben Dwarshuis, and left-arm paceman Spencer Johnson as Australia looks to firm up a 15-man roster for the Champions Trophy.
