Uncertainty looms over Pat Cummins' availability for Champions Trophy as Australia captain set to undergo scans for ankle injury

George Bailey, the chair of the selection committee, expressed, "We will need to wait for the scan results to come back and assess how things are progressing."

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“There's a little bit of work to do. We'll probably get a bit more information around where that's at,” he added.

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Cummins skippered Australia to 2023 ODI World Cup glory in India, but has only appeared in two matches in that format since then. The Aussies open the Champions Trophy campaign vs England on February 22, and also have a one-off ODI in Sri Lanka on February 13 after the Tests.

Cummins bowled 167 overs during the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which was also the most by an Aussie bowler. He also took 25 wickets at 21.36. In Cummins’ absence, Steve Smith has been named as captain for the Sri Lanka tour, and Mitchell Marsh has been dropped.

Josh Hazlewood is expected to make a comeback at the Champions Trophy, after a calf injury ended his Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Brisbane. He was also making a return in that game after an injury issue.

Commenting on Hazlewood, Bailey said, “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. 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.”

Cummins’ absence will be a huge blow for Australia in the upcoming Tests, after he led them to a 3-1 victory vs India. The pacer will look to make his return on time for the ICC event in February.

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