Patiala, 13 January (Sports Desk)
Two-time champions Australia have announced their preliminary 15-player squad for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, with captain Pat Cummins headlining the selection.
Cummins will lead the team in Pakistan, despite recently being ruled out of the Test tour to Sri Lanka later this month due to an ankle injury.
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Matt Short and Aaron Hardie have received their first call-ups to an ICC event squad, while fast bowler Nathan Ellis has also earned a spot. These three replace David Warner (retired), Cameron Green (back surgery), and Sean Abbott from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 winning squad.
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Australia Preliminary Squad:
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Alex Carey
- Nathan Ellis
- Aaron Hardie
- Josh Hazlewood
- Travis Head
- Josh Inglis
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Mitchell Marsh
- Glenn Maxwell
- Matt Short
- Steve Smith
- Mitchell Starc
- Marcus Stoinis
- Adam Zampa
Nathan Ellis’s inclusion comes on the back of strong performances in the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes. All-rounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie offer valuable versatility, while Ellis provides effective pace bowling options at both the start and end of innings. Short has been a regular in Australia’s ODI side since Warner’s retirement in November 2023, and Hardie has also played 11 ODIs for Australia.
“It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan,” said selection chair George Bailey.
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Australia, who last won the Champions Trophy in 2009, will begin their campaign against rivals England in Lahore.
Australia’s Group Stage Fixtures:
- February 22: Australia vs. England (Lahore)
- February 25: Australia vs. South Africa (Rawalpindi)
- February 28: Australia vs. Afghanistan (Lahore)
Pat Cummins’ availability had been in question due to his wife’s upcoming due date and the ankle issue he carried during the Border-Gavaskar Test series. Josh Hazlewood, who missed part of the India Test series due to a calf injury, also returns to the squad. Like Cummins, he will not be traveling to Sri Lanka.
“This is a balanced and experienced squad with the core having been involved in the previous one-day World Cup, the West Indies series, last year’s successful tour of the UK and the more recent Pakistan home series,” Bailey added. Australia will be aiming to break a 15-year drought in the Champions Trophy, having won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009. Sources and related content
