Australian skipper Pat Cummins is likely to miss the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament starting in two weeks. Coach Andrew McDonald who is in Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series spoke to SEN ahead of the second Test starting on Thursday.
During his chat with SEN, coach Andrew McDonald said, "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." The Australian coach also added that either Steve Smith or Travis could lead the side.
“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.”
Josh Hazlewood adds to Australia’s injury worries
Apart from Pat Cummins, seam bowler Josh Hazlewood is also a huge worry for Australia ahead of Champions Trophy tournament. The right-arm seamer got injured after the Brisbane Test match against India. The 34-year-old had also missed the Adelaide Test after impressing with the ball in Perth.
Addressing the situation to SEN, coach 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."
Two time champions Australia are placed with arch-rivals England, WTC final opponents South Africa and Afghanistan. According to the rules, teams can make changes to their squad before the tournaments begins on 19th February. Mitchell Marsh is already out of the tournament due to injury he suffered recently.
According to ESPN CRICINFO, Tanveer Sangha is on his way to Sri Lanka and could play the ODI series. Beau Webster is also in the fray to make his ODI debut as a replacement. Spencer Johnson and Sean Abbott could also be added to the mix to provide depth to the squad ahead of the massive tournament.