By Karan Agrawal 
Australia has announced a new look squad for the 2025 Champions following the unavailability of experienced fast bowler Mitchell Starc who will not feature in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy due to personal reasons. “We understand and respect Mitch’s decision,” George Bailey, chair of men’s selectors, said of Starc who will also miss the two ODIs in Sri Lanka. “Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia.
The Decision
“His well-documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first should be applauded. “His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament, he added.” Australia will field an experienced bowling attack that includes Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, and Tanveer Sangha with spinner Adam Zampa being the only name with significant experience.
The Repercussion
Starc’s decision has come as a major blow for Australia as the Steve Smith-led side is already without the services of several experienced players like regular captain Pat Cummins and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood as the fast bowling duo has been ruled out of the multination tournament due to injuries that they 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 will not feature in the Champions Trophy because of the injury along with Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh who has already been ruled out due to back issues.
The Opportunity
“The upside of that is that we have been able to call on players who have had international exposure and success over the past 12 months,” Bailey said. “A strong core of some of our most experienced players will provide a strong foundation in our attempt to win this edition of the Champions Trophy. We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face,” Bailey said. Other than the injuries to Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins, another Major news that came as a surprise was the sudden retirement of all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who announced that he will be retiring from ODI cricket with immediate effect. Injury to Mitchell Marsh and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis meant that Australia lacked batting prowess to support Steve Smith and Travis Head in the batting department as a result the selectors have decided to add Jake Fraser-McGurk who is known for his aggressive batting at the top of the order.
Australia’s Squad For Champions Trophy
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. [Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly]