Here are four possible replacements for Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Australia's Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
Australia’s preparations for the Champions Trophy, starting in just two weeks, have been disrupted further with the news that captain Pat Cummins and key bowler Josh Hazlewood are unlikely to travel. The team has already been hit hard by the injury of experienced all-rounder Mitch Marsh.
With Cummins and Hazlewood potentially unavailable, Australia’s chances of winning a third Champions Trophy title are in jeopardy as the tournament begins on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Here are four possible replacements for Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Australia’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
Scott Boland can be one of the best options as a replacement for Australia. He has always performed well whenever given the opportunity. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, he took 21 wickets in 3 Tests after replacing Hazlewood.
Although Boland has played only 14 ODIs and taken 16 wickets, he can still be considered a like-for-like replacement for either Cummins or Hazlewood. His ability to trouble batters with the new ball and his accuracy in bowling stump-to-stump, similar to Hazlewood, make him a strong candidate.
Jason Behrendorff is another strong candidate as a replacement option for Australia, providing a left-arm pace option, alongside Mitchell Starc. He took 17 wickets in 10 matches of the Big Bash League and was the leading wicket-taker.
In ODIs for Australia, he has played 12 matches, taking 16 wickets with an economy rate of 5.28. Behrendorff can swing the ball both ways and is effective with the new ball. He could well be a potential replacement for Cummins or Hazlewood.
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Riley Meredith is another player Australia could consider as a replacement. He had a good Big Bash League season where he bagged 16 wickets in 10 matches and was the third highest wicket-taker.
Though he has played only one ODI for Australia, Meredith is a valuable option as he can consistently bowl at speeds above 140 kmph, along with his sharp bouncers and accurate yorkers. Meredith can be useful in the death overs for Australia with his pace and variations.
Spencer Johnson impressed in the T20I series against Pakistan recently, where he was named Player of the Series after taking 8 wickets in 3 matches. He took that form into the Big Bash League and picked up 13 wickets in 7 matches, showing that he is effective in white-ball cricket.
Although he has played only 2 ODIs, his performances in T20s indicates that he has the potential to succeed in the 50-over format as well. His current form may make him a good replacement option for Hazlewood or Cummins.
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