Australia set to make two more injury-forced changes to Champion Trophy squad

Australia is set to make further late changes to its Champions Trophy squad with two of its premier players unlikely to get up from injury concerns.

Australia will need more players for its upcoming Champions Trophy campaign, as Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood look set to miss the tournament through injury.

Cummins is sitting out of the Aussies’ tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his child but has also been managing an ankle issue he sustained during the triumphant Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Hazlewood has not played any cricket since he pulled out of the Gabba Test.

Cummins and Hazlewood were named in Australia’s squad set for Pakistan but coach Andrew McDonald said they were both unlikely to be on the plane.

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

Pat Cummins is ’unlikely’ to lead Australia in the Champions Trophy as he battles an ankle injury. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty

“That would mean we do need a captain – Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two we have been having conversations with while we’ve been building out that Champions Trophy team with Pat back home.

“They’ll be the two we’ll look at for that leadership post, we’ve got to get through the next Test match to see where everyone is at, but they’re the two obvious ones.

“Steve has done a great job here in the Test match, he’s done some good work in One-Day International cricket across the journey as well.

“Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of a shame, and we’ve also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling at the moment.

“That medical information will land over the next couple of days, we’ll be able to shore that up and let everyone know the direction.”

Josh Hazlewood could join Cummins on the sideline. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Hazlewood, who won the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year Award on Monday night, is understood to be battling an issue separate to those that ended his Aussie summer.

Tanveer Sangha has been flown over to Sri Lanka prior to the second Test purely as a development player, but McDonald said he would be in the frame for Australia’s two One-Day Internationals ahead of the Champions Trophy.

The injuries to Cummins and Hazlewood follow the scratching of Mitchell Marsh, who was ruled out of the tournament with a back injury.

Marcus Stoinis has also battled hamstring tightness while playing franchise cricket in South Africa over the past weeks.

McDonald said Test all-rounder Beau Webster was in the mix to be added to the squad after the Aussies’ innings and 242-run win in Galle.

Australia has until February 12 to finalise its Champions Trophy squad.

Originally published as Australia set to make two more injury-forced changes to Champion Trophy squad