Pat Cummins is hugely unlikely to be fit for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, and there are also doubts about the fitness of Josh Hazlewood, according to Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald. Both Cummins and Hazlewood were included in Australia's provisional 15-man squad, with Cummins named as the captain. However, injury concerns about both players have caused uncertainty in the selection process.

McDonald spoke on SEN radio, saying that Cummins was hugely unlikely to be fit, which was disappointing, and that Hazlewood was also struggling. He mentioned that medical updates would arrive in the next few days to provide more clarity. Cummins did not travel with the team to Sri Lanka because he was attending the birth of his second child. He had also been managing an ankle issue during the five-Test series against India. It now appears that the recovery is taking longer than expected, forcing the team to consider finding a replacement fast bowler and a stand-in captain. Hazlewood, who suffered a side strain during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was later ruled out due to a calf strain, also has an unclear recovery status.

McDonald explained that Cummins had not yet been able to resume bowling and was therefore unlikely to be ready in time. This meant that Australia would need to find a new captain. The decision on a replacement captain would be made in the coming days. Australia is also missing Mitchell Marsh, who was ruled out of the tournament with lower back pain and dysfunction. Marsh had led the team in Cummins' absence, so his unavailability meant Australia would need to find another captain. The two main options being considered are Steve Smith, who is currently leading the Test team in Sri Lanka, and Travis Head. Australia will play a couple of ODIs in Sri Lanka before heading to Pakistan for their opening match against England in Lahore on February 22.