Bailey Acknowledges Uncertainty Regarding Cummins' Status for Champions Trophy
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New Delhi, Jan 13 (NationPress) Australia’s chief selector George Bailey has expressed that he lacks clarity regarding the availability of Pat Cummins for the forthcoming Champions Trophy, especially following his recent ankle scans.
Cummins, who will miss Australia’s upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child, recently underwent scans for an ankle issue he had been managing while guiding Australia to a 3-1 series victory over India earlier this month.
Although Cummins is included as Australia’s captain in the preliminary 15-man squad for the eight-team tournament commencing on February 19, teams are permitted to modify their rosters a week before their initial match.
“I don’t really possess any more details than what I shared during the announcement of the Test squad a few days ago. I understand (Cummins) has had the scan, but I aimed to give him some space at the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially with the baby situation,” Bailey stated.
“We’ll navigate that in due course. I have no knowledge of what the scan revealed or showed. I know he is very eager, so we’ll figure it out. That’s always the challenge with the ICC regulations concerning squad naming this far in advance. I can’t provide a specific date regarding a firm timeline,” Bailey told reporters after unveiling Australia’s squad on Monday.
The all-rounder and T20I captain Mitchell Marsh stands as the potential stand-in captain if Cummins is unable to participate in the Champions Trophy. Another significant decision made by Australia was to exclude young opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has struggled to achieve substantial runs at both international and domestic levels.
In his stead, Australia has included Matt Short. “Regarding Jake, I believe he is still quite young. We recognize this will be a journey. The skill set remains incredibly promising. We have numerous top-order batters in the mix,” Bailey elaborated.
“This is quite a preliminary squad. There will be chances to adjust should anyone face injury or if we need to alter the balance for any reason leading up to the event,” Bailey added.
Australia boasts a wealth of all-round talent in Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Aaron Hardie, while Nathan Ellis was chosen over Sean Abbott in the fast-bowling lineup. Australia, who last clinched the Champions Trophy in 2009, finds itself in Group B alongside England, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
“I think Sean has benefited from his resilience and ability to remain fit on the field. He has had opportunities in some of the one-day squads when others were unavailable. With the four quicks we have selected, we believe this offers the best balance for this particular tournament,” Bailey concluded.
