On Thursday, Cricket Australia declared that bowler Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins would not be participating in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Following the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against India, Cummins had an injury that prevented him from playing in the Australian team’s two Test matches in Sri Lanka. Regaining match fitness for the eight-team event was a race against time for him.
Hazlewood was sidelined following the third Test in Brisbane due to a hip strain sustained during the series.
George Bailey, the chair of the national selection panel, stated, “Unfortunately, Pat, Josh, and Mitch [Marsh] are managing some ongoing injuries and haven’t come up in time for the Champion’s Trophy.”
“Although disappointing, it gives other players a fantastic chance to represent Australia at a global competition.”Travis Head or Steve Smith will probably take over as captain now that Cummins is out of the running. For the Sri Lanka Tests, the latter was selected as the Test captain.
Marcus Stoinis, an all-around player, stated earlier Thursday that he will be retiring from One-Day Internationals and withdrawing from the Champions Trophy.
According to the most recent information, Australia’s preliminary roster for the event, which begins on February 19, may need to modify by up to four members.
Along with Afghanistan, South Africa, and England, Australia has been assigned to Group B.
