Australia suffers double blow ahead of Champions Trophy

Australia's preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy have been hit by a major setback, with captain Pat Cummins and key fast bowler Josh Hazlewood both facing doubts for the tournament due to injury concerns.

Cummins is "hugely unlikely" to feature in the upcoming Champions Trophy due to injury, while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt, according to coach Andrew McDonald.

Australian captain, who opted to miss the ongoing Test tour of Sri Lanka for the birth of his second child, is also dealing with an ankle issue.

The Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, is fast approaching, and the uncertainty over Cummins’ availability is a significant blow for the Australian squad.

“Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of a shame,” McDonald said during an interview with the radio station SEN on Wednesday. “We’ve also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling [to be fit] at the moment.”

He added that medical updates on both players will be forthcoming in the next few days, allowing the team to make a final assessment.

Should Cummins be ruled out, Australia will need to find a new captain for the prestigious one-day tournament.

Vice-captain Mitchell Marsh, who has previously led Australia in T20s, has already been sidelined from the tournament due to a back injury. Steve Smith, who is currently captaining Australia in Sri Lanka, is one of the possible candidates to step in as captain for the Champions Trophy, along with Travis Head.

“Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling, so he’s heavily unlikely,” McDonald explained. “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 along with Pat back home. They’ll be the two that we look at for that leadership post.”

In addition to Cummins’ injury concerns, Hazlewood has been struggling with fitness. The paceman was limited to just two Tests during the recent series against India due to calf and side strains, further complicating Australia's bowling options ahead of the tournament.