3 Players Who Can Lead Australia in Pat Cummins Absence at ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The Australian team is facing a big challenge with player injuries as the Champions Trophy is set to kick off on February 19. The Australian star captain, Pat Cummins is likely to be ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Pat Cummins was likely ruled out due to an ankle injury. His absence has left a leadership gap in the team. But Australia has a few strong players who can step up and take charge in place of Pat Cummins for the Champions Trophy. Here are the three possible options:

Steve Smith

The star batter Steve Smith is the first choice to lead the Australian team. He has experience and has already been leading the Australian team in Sri Lanka for the Test series and registerd a big win in the first Test against Sri Lanka. His ablity to take the smart decisions under pressure make him a strong captain.

Travis Head

Travis Head is named as vice-captain for the Australian team for the Sri Lanka series. Travis Head's aggressive batting sytle and leadership skills under pressure sistuations makes him a great choice to handle the team in the Champions Trophy. Travis Head is a strong competitor for the captain role.

Glenn Maxwell

The star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is another player who can lead the Australia in Champions Trophy. He performed very well in many matches under pressure with his excellent batting skills for Australia. Maxwell's innovate shot selection and bowling skills make him a star all-rounder for Australia. If both Smith and Head 

McDonald, the coach of the Australian team, attended the press conference and said: “Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two that we’ve been having conversations with while we’ve been building out that Champions Trophy team along with Pat back home. They’ll be the two that we look at for that leadership post.“

McDonald also praised Smith for his excellent captaincy skills: “They’re the two obvious ones. Steve has done a great job here in the [first] Test match. He’s done some good work in one-day international cricket across the journey as well. So it’s between those two.“

Australia preliminary squad

Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood,Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa (squad yet to be finalized)

ALSO READ: Massive Setback for Australia: Pat Cummins Likely to Miss Champions Trophy 2025