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Pat Cummins has a ‘sore ankle’ and will undergo scans in the coming days to determine the extent of the injury.
Pat Cummins has picked up an ankle injury (Picture Credit: AP)
Australian selection panel chair George Bailey is ‘not sure’ if Pat Cummins would be fit to participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE. Bailey told reporters on Thursday (January 9) that Cummins has a ‘sore ankle’ after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury soon.
Cummins was Australia’s best bowler in the BGT but he also played all five Tests, bowling 167 overs — almost 10 more than the next best, Mohammed Siraj. He wasn’t named in Australia’s squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka because his family is expecting a second child soon, but this injury might extend his layoff to the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
“Pat’s obviously on paternity leave for the next little bit,” Bailey told reporters after announcing the squad for the Sri Lanka series. “He’s got a little bit of a sore ankle as well. In the next week or so, he’ll undergo scans, and we’ll have more information about where things stand.”
When questioned about the skipper’s chances of featuring in the Champions Trophy, Bailey was non-committal and cautious.
“Not really sure yet. We’ll have to wait and see the results of his scan and how he progresses,” he said.
Steve Smith will captain the Test squad in Cummins’ absence and might be in for another leadership opportunity in the Champions Trophy too.
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Josh Hazlewood was also absent from the Sri Lanka squad. Bailey said that the pacer, who picked up a calf injury during the BGT, has responded well to treatment and added that Australia are ‘confident’ he’ll be back available for the Champions Trophy.
“He’s working really hard, and all the news on how he’s responding to the calf injury is very positive,” Bailey said. “It was just probably a little bit tight for him to make this squad given the time he’s missed. But we’re confident he’ll be fit and raring to go for the Champions Trophy,” he added.
Australia will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against England on February 22. Australia won the tournament twice in 2006 and 2009.
