Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said that captain Pat Cummins is unlikely to make it to the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and Dubai. He also said that another key pacer Josh Hazlewood is working hard to make a comeback into the side by recovering from his calf injury.
Cummins missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child while it was revealed after the Border Gavaskar Trophy that the pacer has suffered an ankle injury.
Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the fast-bowling duo, Australia had also suffered a big blow last week when allrounder Mitchell Marsh was ruled out due to a back injury.
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McDonald was speaking to reporters ahead of the ODI team flying to Sri Lanka for two ODIs on February 12 and 14.
“Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling so he’s heavily unlikely, so that would mean that we do need a captain,” McDonald told SEN.
The Australian coach said senior players Steve Smith and Travis Head, who have been elevated to leadership position in the Sri Lanka tour, are favorites to lead in the Champions Trophy.
“Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two that we’ve been having conversations with while we’ve been building out that Champions Trophy team along with Pat back home. They’ll be the two that we look at for that leadership post. They’re the two obvious ones. Steve has done a great job here in the [first] Test match. He’s done some good work in one-day international cricket across the journey as well. So it’s between those two,” McDonald said.
“But, as I said, Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of shame, and we’ve also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling [to be fit] at the moment. So that medical information will land over the next couple of days and we’ll be able to shore that up and let everyone know the direction,” he added.
The absence of Cummins and Hazlewood is likely to open the doors for Sean Abbott and possibly Spencer Johnson. Australia already have a cover for Marsh in the preliminary squad with Matthew Short and Aaron Hardie. Australia are yet to name changes to their initial squad.
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