In his first appearance as captain, Pat Cummins leads Australia’s provisional 15-man selection for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. According to ICC Cricket, Cummins will captain the squad in Pakistan but will be out for the forthcoming Test tour to Sri Lanka later this month because of an ankle ailment.
Pacer Nathan Ellis is included in the squad, and Matt Short and Aaron Hardie receive their first-ever ICC tournament call-ups. These three take the place of Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, who is out due to back surgery, and David Warner, who has retired.
Ellis won his berth after the Hobart Hurricanes, who qualified for the event finals, had an outstanding Big Bash League season. Both Hardie and Short are talented all-rounders who provide the team depth. In white-ball cricket, Ellis is a dependable bowler who can be used for both opening and death overs.
In Australia’s ODI lineup, Short has been a mainstay since Warner retired in November 2023. With 11 appearances in the 50-over format, Hardie has also made a contribution.
According to ICC, selection chair George Bailey stated, “It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on the opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan.”
Australia, who last took home the Champions Trophy in 2009, will begin their campaign on February 22 against bitter rivals England in Lahore. On February 25, they will play South Africa in Rawalpindi, and on February 28, they will play Afghanistan in Lahore in their last group-stage encounter.
The Presence of Cummins Was Uncertain
With his wife Becky expecting their second child during the Sri Lanka Test trip in late January, Pat Cummins’ availability was questioned. Additionally, it was disclosed that earlier this year, during Australia’s successful Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Cummins dealt with an ankle injury.
Josh Hazlewood, who missed the mid-series match against India because of a calf injury, will return with Cummins. Hazlewood will not visit Sri Lanka, same like Cummins.
“This is a well-rounded and seasoned team, with the core having played in the West Indies series, the previous one-day World Cup, the successful UK tour last year, and the more recent Pakistan home series,” Bailey said.
After winning the Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009, Australia will try to snap their 15-year skid.
The preliminary squad for Australia:
Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
