By Karan Agrawal 
Australia has been dealt with a major blow before the Champions Trophy as the participation of regular captain Pat Cummins is “heavily unlikely” after an ankle injury that the fast bowler suffered during the Border Gavaskar Trophy did not heal in the expected time frame. Cummins who opted out of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child might not feature in the Champions Trophy because of the injury Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on the eve of the second test against Sri Lanka. “Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling so he’s heavily unlikely, so that would mean that we do need a captain,” McDonald told SEN.
The Decision
If Pat Cummins is ruled out of the Champions Trophy then Australia will have to appoint a captain as well with Steve Smith and Travis Head being the frontrunner for the prestigious role said Australia’s coach. In the words of Andrew McDonald “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. “
The Wait
“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. But, as I said, Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of shame, and we’ve also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling [to be fit] at the moment. So that medical information will land over the next couple of days, and we’ll be able to shore that up and let everyone know the direction,” McDonald added.
The Concern
With all-rounder Mitchell Marsh already ruled out of the Champions Trophy Australia will also be mulling over the fitness of Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Stoinis, and Aaron Hardie. Hazlewood has been nursing multiple injuries while Marcus Stoinis suffered hamstring tightness during the SA20 and Aron Hardie has just started bowling again after facing quad issues.
The Opportunity
The Australian selectors haven’t yet announced a replacement for Mitchell Marsh. The injuries to multiple players have opened up opportunities for Spencer Johnson and Sean Abbott. Abbott who was initially left out of the squad might get a call whereas Spencer Johnson is all set to fly to Sri Lanka to join the ODI squad as a backup.