Cummins to lead Australia's big guns at Champions Trophy

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MELBOURNE : Pat Cummins will captain Australia at the Champions Trophy after being named in a preliminary 15-man squad also featuring fellow quick Josh Hazlewood on Tuesday.

Cummins will skip the test series in Sri Lanka in January and early February for personal reasons but will return to Australia's colours for the one-day international tournament being played in Pakistan and United Arab Emirates from Feb. 19.

Hazlewood missed the last two tests in the recent series triumph over India because of calf and side injuries but will reunite with Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the pace attack that has helped Australia to multiple successes over the last decade.

There was no place in the squad for opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has been short of runs, but otherwise the squad had a familiar feel with all but three of the team that won the 50-overs World Cup in 2023 included.

All-rounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie as well as quick bowler Nathan Ellis are the least experienced international players in the squad with less than a dozen ODIs each.

"This is a balanced and experienced squad," head selector George Bailey said in a news release.

"It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan."

The Champions Trophy, which Australia won in 2006 and 2009, was last played in 2017.

The ninth edition of the tournament will run from Feb. 19 to March 9 mostly in Pakistan with only the matches involving India taking place in the UAE for political reasons.

Australia have been drawn with Afghanistan, England and South Africa for the opening group stage.

Squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

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