Australia Faces Squad Shake-Up Ahead of Champions Trophy
Australia is set to make four changes to their provisional squad for the Champions Trophy.
There had been major doubts about Josh Hazlewood’s availability due to injury, and those concerns have now been confirmed. The experienced pacer will not be part of Australia’s campaign in the global tournament.
Captain Pat Cummins had already been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, and on Thursday, Cricket Australia (CA) made it official—both Cummins and Hazlewood will miss the tournament.
The squad took another unexpected hit as all-rounder Marcus Stoinis shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from ODI cricket. Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh had already been ruled out due to a back injury. Both players were initially included in the provisional squad, meaning Australia now needs to make four replacements.
Hazlewood has been battling injuries for a while. He sustained a muscle and side strain during the home series against India, forcing him to miss three of the five Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests. He was also absent from the squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Although he recovered from his previous injury, Hazlewood is now dealing with a hip issue, which has ultimately ruled him out of the Champions Trophy.
Cummins, meanwhile, is missing the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. However, even if he were available, his participation would have been in doubt due to an ankle injury that surfaced after the Border-Gavaskar series, where he endured an increased bowling workload.
Despite his injury concerns, Australia named Cummins as captain in their initial Champions Trophy squad. But head coach Andrew McDonald hinted on Wednesday that the pacer was unlikely to recover in time. The confirmation came from chief selector George Bailey, who officially ruled him out.
With Cummins sidelined, Steve Smith or Travis Head could take over as Australia’s captain for the tournament.
Australia will play two T20Is in Sri Lanka with their revised Champions Trophy squad. Fast bowlers Sean Abbott and Cooper Connolly, currently part of the Test squad, could be retained for that series. Additionally, top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, pace-bowling all-rounder Ben Dwarshuis, and left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson are expected to join the ODI squad.
If Australia decides to include an extra spinner, leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha could be in contention. Sangha is currently with the Test squad in Sri Lanka as a development player. All-rounder Beau Webster is also under consideration.
Sri Lanka and Australia will face off in two ODIs in Colombo on February 12 and 14. Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign begins on February 22 against England.
