Cummins to Captain Australia’s Star-Studded Squad for Champions Trophy”
MELBOURNE —Cummins has been appointed captain of Australia for the Champions Trophy, He was included in a preliminary squad of 15 players announced on Tuesday, which also includes fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.
Cummins will miss the test series in Sri Lanka scheduled for January and early February due to personal matters but will be back in Australia’s colors for the one-day international tournament taking place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates starting February 19.
Hazlewood, who was sidelined during the last two tests in the recent series victory over India due to calf and side injuries, will join Cummins and Mitchell Starc in a pace attack that has contributed to Australia’s many achievements in the past decade. Opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has struggled to score runs, was not included in the squad, but overall, the lineup feels familiar, with all but three players from the team that claimed the 50-overs World Cup in 2023 being selected.
All-rounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie, along with fast bowler Nathan Ellis, are the least seasoned international players in the squad, having played fewer than twelve ODIs each. “This squad is both balanced and experienced,” head selector George Bailey stated in a news release. “It provides a range of options for the touring management based on the opposing team and the conditions that could arise in Pakistan.” The Champions Trophy, which Australia claimed in 2006 and 2009, was last contested in 2017.
The tournament’s ninth edition is scheduled to take place from February 19 to March 9, primarily in Pakistan, with matches involving India being held in the UAE due to political issues. Australia has been placed in a group with Afghanistan, England, and South Africa for the initial stage of the tournament. The squad includes Pat Cummins (captain), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa.