Pat Cummins in doubt for 2025 Champions Trophy

Australia skipper Pat Cummins may be embroiled in a race against time to be fit for the 2025 Champions Trophy after a suspected ankle injury following an intense Border-Gavaskar series. The pacer played in all five Test matches in the summer, bowling 167 overs, the highest by a player in the entire series.

Cummins was not named in the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in the subcontinent. The skipper is expecting his second child, but at the same time, could be plagued by an injury concern that threatens to keep him out of action for a while.

Australia chief selector George Bailey confirmed that Pat Cummins will undergo a scan to assess his sore ankle.

"There's a little bit of work to do, he's got a little bit of a sore ankle as well so I think in the next week or so he's got a scan coming there and we'll get a bit more information around where that's at," Bailey told reporters (via The Wide World of Sports)

"Not really sure yet, we'll have to wait and see where that scan comes back and where it's tracking," Bailey said regarding Cummins' participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy

Australia have been drawn in Group B of the 2025 Champions Trophy alongside Afghanistan, England, and South Africa. They will kickstart their campaign with a clash against arch-rivals England on February 22 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Josh Hazlewood expected to be fit in time for 2025 Champions Trophy amid doubt over Patr Cummins

Adding to the bowling injury crisis for Australia is Josh Hazlewood, who missed three Tests in the Border-Gavaskar series. The right-arm pacer initially returned in Brisbane after missing the pink ball Test but was then ruled out for the remainder of the series.

"He's working really hard, and all the news on how he's responding to the calf injury is coming along really well," Bailey said of Hazlewood

"It was just probably a little bit tight (for this squad) given the amount of time he would've missed and again looking how we potentially may structure up those loads those quicks may be put under. It just worked out that unfortunately for him he didn't quite get there in time but really confident he should be fit and raring to go for the Champions Trophy," he added

Hazlewood is not part of the squad for the Sri Lanka Tests, with Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Sean Abbott headlining the pace department. All-rounder Beau Webster is also a seam bowling option if needed in the subcontinent conditions.