Ankle problem makes Cummins a doubt for Champions Trophy

Australia captain Pat Cummins is in doubt for the Champions Trophy after it was revealed that he had been managing an ankle problem during the Test series against India.

It was confirmed on Thursday that Cummins would miss the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka (paternity leave) and will undergo scans on his ankle in the coming days to determine whether he will be able to lead the team in the Champions Trophy, which will be held across Pakistan and the UAE next month.

"We'll have to wait and see when that scan comes back and see how it's tracking," chair of selectors George Bailey said. "There's a little bit of work to do. We'll probably get a bit more information around where that's at."

Cummins sent down 167 overs during the five Tests against India, the most by an Australian bowler, taking 25 wickets at 21.36.

Australia's opening game of the Champions Trophy is against England on February 22, and they have a one-off ODI in Sri Lanka on February 13 after the Test series, which is part of their preparation.

Cummins captained Australia to the 2023 ODI World Cup title in India but has only played two games in the format since amid workload management.

Australia have used a variety of stand-in captains in that period. Steven Smith led the side last season against West Indies before Mitchell Marsh had the role in England, with Smith again deputising for the deciding game of that series. Earlier this summer against Pakistan, Josh Inglis led the team in the final ODI in Perth.

Josh Hazlewood, meanwhile, is being earmarked for a return in the Champions Trophy after the selectors took a cautious approach to his recovery from the calf injury that ended his India series after Brisbane, which in itself was a comeback game after a side problem.

"Josh is working really hard and all the news of how he's responding to his recovery from the calf injury is coming along really well," Bailey said. "It's just probably a little bit tight, given the amount of time that he would have missed and also with how we may structure up and the loads those quicks may be put under."

Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Sean Abbott are the three frontline quicks heading to Sri Lanka. Abbott could earn a Test debut on the tour, and it was his durability that earned him the nod.

"In Sean's favour, given outside of the conditions that we expect to face, he's just robust," Bailey said. "We know he can put a heavy body of work in should he be required."