Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025

Australia have been dealt with a major setback ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as skipper Pat Cummins and speedster Josh Hazlewood have been officially ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. The duo becomes the latest addition to Australia’s growing list of absentees, which already includes all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and recently retired Marcus Stoinis. 

With the team in need of urgent replacements, selectors face tough decisions ahead of the February 12 deadline for finalising the squad. Cummins and Hazlewood’s exclusion from the squad was confirmed by Australia’s selection chair George Bailey, who mentioned the unfortunate timing of their injuries. Cricket Australia has revealed that both bowlers will undergo an extended period of rehabilitation.

“Pat and Josh are managing some ongoing injuries and haven't come up in time for the Champions Trophy. While disappointing, it does present a great opportunity for other players to perform for Australia in a world event,” Bailey said on Thursday as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. 

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Smith and Head are the two that we've been having conversations with: Andrew McDonald

Cummins, who had already opted out of the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka to be with his family for the birth of his second child, has been struggling with an ankle issue that spiked up after his heavy workload in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

The Australian skipper bowled 167 overs and claimed 25 wickets, but the exertion has taken a toll on his fitness. Hazlewood, on the other hand, has been dealing with a hip issue after recovering from side and calf injuries that kept him out of multiple Tests in recent months.

With Cummins unavailable, Australia now faces a leadership dilemma heading into the prestigious trophy. Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that discussions are ongoing about who will captain the side, with Steve Smith and Travis Head coming up as the two frontrunners. 

"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," he revealed.

Australia have named Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, and Ben Dwarshuis for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, with one or more of them likely to earn a spot in the Champions Trophy squad. Additionally, leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha, spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly, and opener Jake Fraser-McGurk have also been drafted into the team for the two-match series.