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Champions Trophy 2025: Ex-RCB Star To Replace Injured Pat Cummins In Australia Squad?
Follow UsPat Cummins is nursing an ankle injury he sustained during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is yet to resume bowling.
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald, on February 5 (Wednesday), confirmed that captain Pat Cummins is unlikely to feature in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Cummins is nursing an ankle injury he sustained during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is yet to resume bowling.
The right-arm seamer, who was captain of the Australian team that won the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, is also missing Australia’s ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.
One of Steven Smith or Travis Head will replace him as captain, but Australia will miss his bowling in the 50-over event, starting February 19. Here, we look at three bowlers who can replace Cummins in the Australian squad.
Sean Abbott
It's not that Sean Abbott is at Cummins’ level but the 32-year-old is the most like-to-like replacement Australia could get for their captain. Someone who can bat lower down the order and bowl the majority of his overs in the middle phase, Abbott fits the bill perfectly.
Abbott has featured in 24 ODIs since 2022 and picked up 27 wickets at an economy of 5.6, apart from scoring 345 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of more than 100. Abbott, who has played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), also has two fifties to his name, and is most likely going to be the one who will replace Cummins.
Xavier Bartlett
Xavier Bartlett isn’t as experienced as Abbott or has the similar batting skills but when it comes to bowling, the 26-year-old is far more superior. Bartlett has featured in two ODIs and has a four-wicket haul in each of those games.
Bartlett is someone who can move the new ball and take wickets in the powerplay, which is exactly what you need on those roads in Pakistan.
Ashton Agar
You don’t always have to replace a pacer with another seamer, especially if you already have Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie and Marcus Stoinis in your squad. With Adam Zampa being the only frontline spinner in the squad, Australia could also call back Ashton Agar.
The spin-bowling all-rounder, who played the last of his 22 ODIs in 2023, could offer Australia some valuable batting at No.8 and bowl some tight overs of left-arm spin. Australia don’t have a single left-arm spinner in their squad for the Champions Trophy.