Australian captain Pat Cummins in doubt for next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan with ankle injury

Australian captain Pat Cummins will have scans in coming days on an ankle injury that leaves him in doubt for next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan. And it means Cummins definitely will not take part in Australia’s two Test tour of Sri Lanka from the end of January, although he was likely to miss anyway as he awaits the birth of his second child. Australia’s team for the two matches against Sri Lanka in Galle from January 29 was unveiled by national selectors on Tuesday. It features the emergence of Australian cricket’s next generation of Test stars, with star boy Sam Konstas and West Australian young gun Cooper Connolly included in a squad. A reprieve has also been handed to Nathan McSweeney, who was dumped after three Tests in the home series against India, while spinners Todd Murphy and Nathan Kuhnemann have been picked to team with Nathan Lyon. Australia will learn more about Cummins’ injury later this week when he receives the results of scans. “Pat is obviously on paternity leave for the next little bit, there is a little bit of work to do, he has got a little bit of a sore ankle as well,” national selection chair George Bailey revealed. “In the next week or so he has got a scan coming there and we will get a bit more information as to where that’s at. We will have to wait and see how that scan comes back and see how it’s tracking.” They must submit a squad for the latest revival of the Champions Trophy by Sunday, but can make changes for another month. Steve Smith will take on the captaincy in Sri Lanka, while Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are poised to shoulder the bowling load. Josh Hazlewood has not recovered from a side strain in time to tour, which leaves Sean Abbott a real chance of debuting as the reserve quick. Axed all-rounder Mitch Marsh missed the squad, but Bailey wouldn’t put a line through the WA star’s Test career and said he could still be called on for next summer’s Ashes series. “I don’t necessarily see it as the end of the road for him, I think Mitch at his best and with a longer term view of potentially what the Ashes may look like and what England may throw at us there, I think he has got a skillset that suits there,” he said. “Not taking away from the fact that at some stage clearly we are going to have the return of Cameron Green as well into the team, but unlike some, (I’m) probably not as glass-half-empty about where that leaves Mitch.” Australia hasn’t settled on which of its batters will open against Sri Lanka. Travis Head opened in their most recent subcontinent tour, against India in 2023, but has found his place as one of the world’s best middle-order weapons. Konstas has been included in the squad after taking the cricket world by storm in Melbourne and Sydney in recent weeks, as has McSweeney, who was used as a makeshift opener in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. There is a Test tour to India slated for 2027. “Trav is an option, clearly with that squad we have got a number of options,” Bailey said. “We have had a few preliminary discussions around where that might land and that may depend on the make-up of that first eleven. “I think Andrew (McDonald) and Steve will settle on that in due course once we hit Sri Lanka.” McSweeney scored 72 runs from his first three Test matches and selectors were confident he would be part of their future even after he lost his spot. But Bailey did say he wasn’t given any assurance he would tour Sri Lanka when he lost his spot for the Boxing Day Test. “The conversations we had ... were that we still view him as a great Test prospect and a long-term Test prospect, but at the time of the series we felt like we needed to throw something a little bit different at India, given the challenges we were facing, particularly from Jasprit Bumrah,” he said. “It shows the character that we’ve seen and the sort of person he is, the way he responded and spoke so well about it publicly, pretty soon after it happened, and jumped straight back into performing for the Heat.” McSweeney bats at No.3 for South Australia and has experience at No.4 as well. Bailey wouldn’t confirm he would play his next Test in the middle-order, but with the emergence of Konstas it feels unlikely they will need him as an opener. Peter Handscomb had been widely tipped to make the squad given he spent time around the group in Sydney and is a specialist against spin. Bailey said he would stay at home but remain on standby.