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Cummins Unlikely to Play in Champions Trophy; Smith or Head to Lead Australia
Cummins Unlikely to Play in Champions Trophy; Smith or Head to Lead Australia
Australia captain Pat Cummins ruled out of the Champions Trophy, confirmed coach Andrew McDonald on Wednesday.
Pat Cummins who is currently leading Australia might not be available for the Champions Trophy due to an ankle injury and also Because of the second child’s birth, Cummins was also not available for the test series in Sri Lanka. The captain will be chosen between Travis Head and Steven Smith, while Josh Hazelwood struggling to make it on time as per Andrew McDonald the coach.
Australia's ODI players not on the Test tour are scheduled to fly to Sri Lanka on Thursday, but McDonald announced on Wednesday morning that Cummins is unlikely to join them.
McDonald said that “ "Pat Cummins hasn't been able to start bowling again, so it's very unlikely he'll play. This means we'll need to find a new captain." "We've been discussing leadership roles with Steve Smith and Travis Head while building the Champions Trophy team, along with Pat back home. These two are the main candidates for the leadership position.
Steve has performed exceptionally well in the first Test match and has also done a great job in one-day international cricket. So, the choice will be between Steve Smith and Travis Head."
"Pat Cummins is very unlikely to play, which is unfortunate. Josh Hazlewood is also struggling with fitness at the moment. We'll get medical updates in the next few days and then make a final decision."
Hazlewood is dealing with a hip issue after recovering from side and calf injuries that caused him to miss three of the five Tests against India and the Test tour of Sri Lanka.
Due to a back injury, there is no chance that Mitchell Marsh will be able to play for the Champion Trophy. Not only that he might not be able to play for the domestic season but it could be possible that he will play in the IPL for the Lucknow Super Giants.
A replacement for the Marsh for the Champions Trophy still needs to be named. McDonald mentioned on Sunday, after the Test win in Galle, that Beau Webster might be called up to the ODI squad even though he hasn't played ODI cricket for Australia yet. The team wants to add another seam-bowling allrounder due to injuries. Aaron Hardie and Marcus Stoinis are already in the squad, but both have injury issues. Hardie has just returned to bowling after dealing with quad problems, and Stoinis recently experienced hamstring tightness during the SA20 and didn't bowl in his last match for Durban's Super Giants.
With Cummins and Hazlewood unavailable, Sean Abbott has a chance to return to the ODI squad after missing the final Champions Trophy selection due to his recent ODI performance. Spencer Johnson will also be considered as he was set to travel to Sri Lanka as cover for the ODI squad.
Legspinner Tanveer Sangha has been flown to Sri Lanka ahead of the second Test for development purposes. McDonald confirmed that Sangha could play in the two ODIs in Colombo before the team heads to the Champions Trophy. Sangha might be a reserve player in Pakistan, similar to his role during the ODI World Cup in India in 2023, as Australia has only one specialist spinner, Adam Zampa, in their squad of 15.
Australia's selectors will face a challenge forming an XI for the first ODI against Sri Lanka on February 12, given there is only one travel day between the fifth day of the second Test and the first ODI. ODI squad members Head, Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Starc are all set to play in the Test match. However, there might be extra days for recovery if the Test ends quickly on a surface that appears much drier than the previous one.
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