Champions Trophy: Australian pacer Mitchell Starc set to miss tournament due to personal reasons

Australia’s leading left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has pulled out of the Champions Trophy tournament, which starts in a week. The 35-year-old has pulled out due to personal reasons that haven’t been revealed yet. This is a massive blow for Australia, who are already without the services of skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. 

Apart from the two front-line seamers, even Marcus Stoinis isn’t there due to his sudden retirement. Mitchell Marsh, who played a key role with the bat in Australia’s 2023 World Cup win, is also ruled out due to injury. With their frontline pace attack gone, Australia will have to depend on Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson to do the job. 

Steve Smith has been confirmed as the captain for the upcoming showpiece event. Australia are set to play a two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday in a bid to get into groove for the fifty-over format. While Starc hasn’t revealed his reason to pull out of the tournament, it is believed that the pacer could be struggling with niggles. 

Also read: ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 All Team Squads

Mitchell Starc’s pull could be a huge blow for Australia 

Former Australian skipper George Bailey, who is now the chief selector, spoke to the media and said, “We understand and respect Mitch's decision. Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia.”

Bailey also said, “His well-documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first, should be applauded. His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament."

“The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis. The upside of that is that we have been able to call on players who have had international exposure and success over the past 12 months,” said George Bailey while speaking to the media. 

Australia’s final Champions Trophy squad 

Steve Smith (C), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa