Champions Trophy 2025: Australia Sweat on Scan Results to Confirm Skipper Pat Cummins Participation in Tournament

Add as a preferred source on Google

Australia unsure of Pat Cummins' participation at the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and UAE as the ODI World Cup-winning skipper is waiting on scan results for an ankle issue he picked up during the home summer.

Cummins played all five matches of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series for the hosts against India, playing a crucial role as he helped Australia win the BGT after 10 years with 25 wickets in 167 overs.

The 31-year-old is already sitting out of the Test tour to Sri Lanka due to the impending birth of his child with Steve Smith named as the interim captain, but Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Thursday (January 9) that the pace-bowling skipper was also managing an ankle pain.

Australian selection panel chair George Bailey has told reporters that Cummins has a 'sore ankle' after the 2024-25 BGT and will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury.

"Pat's obviously on paternity leave for the next little bit," Bailey told reporters after announcing the squad for the Sri Lanka series. "He's got a little bit of a sore ankle as well. In the next week or so, he'll undergo scans, and we'll have more information about where things stand."

The absence of Cummins would come as a major blow for Australia, who will be aiming to add the Champions' Trophy to their 50-over World Cup win. Australia has not won the 8-team tournament since 2009, with India and Pakistan winning the most recent editions in 2013 and 2017 respectively.

If Cummins is unavailable, vice captain Mitchell Marsh, who lead the team on the full-time role in Twenty20s, is likely to lead the team with Smith also in the reckoning for a longer stint as captain. Marsh too is missing the Sri Lanka tour, but will be available for the Champions Trophy.

Bailey also provided some positive news on Josh Hazlewood's availability for the ICC tournament. Although Hazlewood missed part of the BGT and is also out of the tour of Sri Lanka due to a calf injury, the pacer is likely to be fit and ready for next month's fixtures.

"He's working really hard, and all the news on how he's responding to the calf injury is very positive," Bailey said on Hazlwood's fitness. "It was just probably a little bit tight for him to make this squad given the time he's missed. But we're confident he'll be fit and raring to go for the Champions Trophy."

Australia will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against England on February 22 in Lahore before they take on South Africa in Rawalpindi on February 25, and return to Lahore to face Afghanistan in their final Group B match on February 28.