Pat Cummins Likely Out of Champions Trophy, Australia to Name New Captain
Australian skipper Pat Cummins will likely miss the ICC Champions Trophy as head coach Andrew McDonald revealed that the fast bowler is not bowling again. Cummins missed the Sri Lanka tour going on now, as he became a father for the second time. He also has been carrying an ankle injury since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India. Despite playing through the injury, he has been undergoing treatment post-series and remains doubtful for the marquee tournament starting February 19.
Australia's ODI squad, which includes the players selected for the Sri Lanka series and the Champions Trophy, will leave on Thursday. But McDonald has suggested that Cummins is unlikely to be part of the traveling party. Adding to Australia's worries, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood too is not doing well with fitness issues, and a final call on both the players is likely to come in the next couple of days.
"Pat Cummins hasn't been able to resume any type of bowling, so he's heavily unlikely. That means we do need a captain",McDonald said. "Josh Hazlewood is also battling to be fit, and we'll have clarity on both their situations soon".
Australia is likely to have a new ODI captain with Cummins out of the tournament. McDonald confirmed that Steve Smith and Travis Head are the top contenders for the role.
"Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two we've been having conversations with while building the Champions Trophy squad. They are the obvious choices for the leadership position", he stated.
Smith has previously captained Australia in all formats, but he only recently led the team in the first Test against Sri Lanka and has experience as an ODI leader. On the other hand, Head has emerged as one of the important players in the white-ball setup for Australia and may be handed the responsibility.
With Australia looking to finalize its Champions Trophy squad in the near future, the official announcement of the captain may be made within a few days.
