NEW DELHI: Australia suffered further setbacks on Thursday as captain Pat Cummins and veteran bowler Josh Hazlewood were ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to injury.
Cummins has still to recover from the ankle niggle that dogged him near the end of the most recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India and Hazlewood is still recovering from a calf issue.
Hazlewood’s last competitive match was in the third Test match, which ended in a draw in Brisbane, against India.
This development almost immediately followed Mitchell Marsh’s withdrawal from the global competition after failing to recover from a back injury, and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis’ unexpected retirement from ODIs.
The team that had been struggling with injuries to important players now faces a new selection dilemma after Stoinis, who was included in the nation’s Champions Trophy squad, abruptly announced his retirement from the 50-over international game to “fully focus on the next chapter” of his career.
“Unfortunately Pat, Josh and Mitch are managing some ongoing injuries and haven’t come up in time for the Champions Trophy,” national selection panel chairman George Bailey said on Thursday.
“While disappointing, it does present a great opportunity for other players to perform for Australia in a world event,” said Bailey.
Steve Smith or Travis Head might captain the defending ODI World Cup champions in the Champions Trophy, which begins in Pakistan on February 19, in Cummins’ place.
The team’s Champions Trophy campaign will start on February 22 in Lahore against old rivals England. They will then play South Africa on February 25 in Rawalpindi and Afghanistan on February 28 in Lahore.
Both Cummins and Hazlewood, who are both elite fast bowlers in their own right, will require a lengthy recuperation period before they are cleared to play again, casting question on their participation in the Indian Premier League, which comes after the ICC event.
Cummins is expected to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Hazlewood was purchased by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 12.50 crore during the player auction.
Following the Champions Trophy, Australia will play South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in mid-June. The team would like to start their best lineup in the championship match.
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