Australia captain Pat Cummins is "hugely unlikely" to be fit for the Champions Trophy, leaving the world champions pondering their captaincy options.

Australia captain Pat Cummins is "hugely unlikely" for the Champions Trophy because of injury while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt, coach Andrew McDonald said on Wednesday.

Just a couple of weeks before the start of the ICC Champions Trophy, Australia have suffered a big blow as their skipper Pat Cummins is close to being ruled out of the competition. Australia coach Andrew McDonald dropped the bomb on Wednesday,

Australia captain Pat Cummins is highly unlikely to feature in the Champions Trophy due to his ongoing ankle issue, with Steve Smith and Travis Head emerging as the leading candidates to take over the captaincy.

Steve Smith could remain in the hot seat as Australian captain with Pat Cummins "hugely unlikely" to play in the Champions Trophy.

Cummins has been unavailable for Australia’s ongoing two-match Test series against Sri Lanka due to an ankle injury and the birth of his second child. Smith has taken charge and led Australia to a dominant victory in the opening Test in Galle, winning by an innings and 242 runs.

Australia's cricket team captain Pat Cummins has been dealt a massive blow with an ankle problem. Meanwhile, the injury has left his participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy highly doubtful. Coach Andrew McDonald revealed Steven Smith and Travis Head are in the running to replace the captaincy role.

In case Pat Cummins doesn't get fit in time, either Travis Head or Steve Smith is likely to lead Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Australia captain Pat Cummins is "hugely unlikely" for the Champions Trophy because of injury while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt, coach Andrew McDonald said Wednesday. "Pat Cummins hasn't been able to resume any type of bowling so he's heavily unlikely,