MELBOURNE: Aus­tr­alia captain Pat Cummins is all but ruled out of the Champions Trophy while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt for the One-day Inter­national tournament, coach Andrew McDonald said on Wednesday.

Cummins missed the Test tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child but has been troubled by an ankle injury that flared up after the Test series win over India at the beginning of last month.

“Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling so he’s heavily unlikely,” McDonald told Australian radio station SEN.

“So that would mean that we do need a captain. Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two that we’ve been having conversations with while we’ve been building out that Champions Trophy team.”

Hazlewood missed three of the five India Tests and the Sri Lanka tour with side and calf injuries. McDonald said he was battling to be fit and a decision would be made once medical information landed in coming days.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh has already been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a back injury. The tournament starts on Feb 19 and is being co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emi­rates.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025