Australia's Champions Trophy campaign is already on shaky ground, and now it's teetering on the edge! Their fiery pace trio—Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—has been wiped out before a single ball is bowled.
While skipper Cummins and Hazlewood had already waved the white flag due to an ankle and a calf injury respectively, Starc has now pulled out citing personal reasons, leaving the Aussies with a gaping hole in their attack. In their absence, Steve Smith will captain a side which hasn't won a single game at the Champions Trophy in 16 years. Talk about an uphill battle!
Starc will also miss the two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting in Colombo on Wednesday.
Reacting to the news, Australia's chief selector George Bailey stated, "Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia," he said.
"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."
"The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis."
"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.
"A strong core of some our most experienced players will provide a strong foundation in our attempt to win this edition of the Champions Trophy," he added.
"We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face."
Australia 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
