Injury concerns for Australia heading into Champions Trophy and WTC Final
Skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood both sustained blows during the Border-Gavaskar series while Cameron Green is still undergoing rehab for a back injury.
Having qualified for a second successive ICC World Test Championship Final and advancing into the upcoming Men’s Champions Trophy as the reigning ODI champions, Australia’s quest for silverware has been dealt with injury woes.
The recent 3-1 series win against India in a pulsating five-test series came at the cost of injuries to Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins.
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While Hazlewood was ruled out midway through the series owing to a calf injury, Cummins underwent scans following the Sydney Test on a sore ankle and is doubtful for the Champions Trophy starting in February.
Cricket Australia chief selector George Bailey provided an update on Thursday, conceding there’s much work to be done regarding their captain getting back on track.
"We'll have to wait and see when that scan comes back and see how it's tracking," Bailey said.
"There's a little bit of work to do. We'll probably get a bit more information around where that's at."
Cummins was Australia’s leading wicket-taker against India with 25 wickets from five Tests and was also a handy contributor with the bat in a fiercely contested series.
While Bailey sounded optimistic about Hazlewood’s recovery, the chief selector added that the management was treading carefully with the 34-year-old, who played a vital role in the World Test Championship and Men’s Cricket World Cup triumphs in 2023.
"Josh is working really hard and all the news of how he's responding to his recovery from the calf injury is coming along really well.
"It's just probably a little bit tight, given the amount of time that he would have missed and also with how we may structure up and the loads those quicks may be put under."
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A positive update for the Aussies comes in the form of Cameron Green, who is on road to recovery ahead of the WTC Final.
The all-rounder had missed out on the big summer Test series against India owing to a back injury but Bailey is hopeful of his availability for the one-off final against South Africa.
"Very hopeful he will be available as a batsman for the World Test Championship final.”
The WTC Final is scheduled to be played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground starting June 11.