Champions Trophy 2025: Australia captain Steve Smith “not worried” about pace trio’s absence
Subsequent captain Steve Smith said he was “not worried” about the opening game of the championship trophy against England on Saturday.
Captain Pat Cummins and other seaman Josh Hazlewood were injured for personal reasons while left arm Mitchell Starc withdrew from the team for personal reasons .
It will be the first time the famous Pace Trio has appeared in a major white ball tournament for 14 years.
“It’s a little different,” Smith said. “I’ve been playing with those guys for over 10 years.
“We missed some quick gun bowlers, but we weren’t worried about that, we were thinking about the opportunity for these guys.”
There are 525 one-day international wickets between Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc. They are both part of Australia’s 2015 and 2023 World Cup titles and have appeared in the past five Ashes series.
In their position, the attack could be led by 30-year-old seaman Nathan Ellis, the only other speed bowler selected in the squad before the withdrawal. .
Left Arm Quick Spencer Johnson, Seamer Sean Abbott and left Arm Ben Dwarshuis have been added.
England captain Jos Buttler said he still expects to face “very difficult challenges”.
“These three guys have been the real pillar of Australian success for a long time, so they will naturally be a miss for their team,” he said.
“But, as time goes by, there are some top players who are going to walk into the shoes.”
