Cummins to lead Australia’s big guns at 2025 CT

Pat Cummins will captain Australia at the Champions Trophy (CT) after being named in a preliminary 15-man squad also featuring fellow quick Josh Hazlewood on Monday.
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 February 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-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.
Australia 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.

Nortje back in South Africa squad for Champions Trophy
Fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Monday named in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy one-day international tournament in Pakistan next month. Nortje, 31, has not played in a 50-over match since September 2023 when he suffered a stress fracture.
He came back to be South Africa’s most successful bowler in the T20 World Cup last June but has not played an international match since the final against India in Barbados.
He turned down a Cricket South Africa contract in order to play T20 franchise cricket.
Nortje had been due to play in white-ball matches against Pakistan last month but suffered a broken right toe while batting in the nets. Coach Rob Walter said he was confident Nortje would be in peak physical condition for the Champions Trophy.
“He was at our camp in Pretoria bowling really quickly,” said Walter. “He was super-fit and super-energised to be playing for South Africa again and it was just one of those unfortunate circumstances. Anrich is the ultimate professional, he looks after himself and takes care of his conditioning. I’ve got no doubt he’ll be good to go.”
Fellow fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will also return after recovering from the groin injury which kept him out of South Africa’s home international season.
Ten of the squad played in the Cricket World Cup in India in 2023, where Walter said the team had “played exceptional cricket” to reach the semi-finals.
While South Africa’s quest for a major trophy continues, Walter said a core group of players would benefit from reaching the semi-finals and final of their last two International Cricket Council events.
“They know what it feels like to be in the cauldron,” he said.
South Africa will play in a triangular tournament in Pakistan against the hosts and New Zealand ahead of the Champions Trophy but are likely to have to select some different players because of a clash with the closing stages of the SA20 franchise tournament.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wkt), Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.