The veteran pacers, captain Pat Cummins and lanky Josh Hazlewood have returned to Australia’s squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 after they were ruled out of the upcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka in the last week of January. Cummins is on paternity leave for the birth of his second child, but it was also revealed that he would be undergoing the scans on a troublesome ankle that he had been managing since the Test series against India at home.
The chair of selectors for Australia, George Bailey, responded that they have been waiting for the results of the scans, but with a free hand to update the squad any time in the next four weeks, they felt no immediate rush to make a final call.
Hazlewood hasn’t recovered yet from the calf injury that ruled him out of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 but the selection committee is hopeful of the pacer returning for the one-day side.
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“I want to give him a little bit of space at the back end of the Border-Gavaskar; baby pending. We’ll work through that with Pat and the selection panel and the medical team, but I know he’s very keen.” Bailey, the former captain of Australia, expressed in the press release.
Nathan Ellis overtakes Sean Abbott to be the fourth pacer for Australia
The all-rounders Aaron Hardie and Matthew Short, who recently clubbed a 54-ball 109-run knock for the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, have been kept in the 15-member squad. Hardie isn’t currently bowling for the Perth Scorchers due to injury, while the backup wicket-keeper of the squad, Josh Inglis, has been recovering from the calf injury that he picked in the red-ball series.
Nathan Ellis has been promoted to the squad, suddenly over the pace of Xavier Bartlett and Sean Abbott as the fourth pacer behind the big three of Cummins, Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc. Ellis, who recently earned a cheque for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025, has featured in eight ODIs to pick ten wickets at an average of 38.20 and an economy rate of just under six.
“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. It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on the opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan.” Australia’s chief selector highlighted.
Alex Carey is the leading wicket-keeper of the side as he gave belief after his knocks of 74 and 77* in England. Adam Zampa is the only frontline spinner for Australia in the squad, with support from Glenn Maxwell. None of Cooper Connolly and Jake Fraser-McGurk have found a space among the 15-members.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith will take care of the middle order, while Short is expected to open with Travis Head. Marcus Stoinis has featured in just one ODI since the 2023 World Cup final, where he scored just eight runs in 25 deliveries.
Australia will play a one-off ODI against Sri Lanka on February 13 before heading to Pakistan, where talks have been going on for another warm-up fixture. They will start their campaign against England on February 22 before facing South Africa and Afghanistan.
Australia Squad For Champions Trophy 2025
Pat Cummins (captain), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa