Australian skipper Pat Cummins and wife Becky were blessed with their second child, the couple announced on Saturday. Taking to their official Instagram handle, Pat and Becky unveiled to the world, the first glimpse of their daughter, Edi. “She’s here. Our beautiful baby girl, Edi words can’t describe how overjoyed & full of love we feel right now @patcummins30,” said Becky and Pat in their joint post. Earlier, Cummins missed out on the ongoing Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka due to Edi’s birth.
Also, Cummins and pacer Josh Hazlewood are set to miss the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to injuries. Things are slowly getting worse for Aussies as after injury to Mitchell Marsh and shock retirement of Marcus Stoinis, their pace bowling options have depleted further with Cummins and Hazlewood being ruled out of the tournament due to ankle and hip issues respectively, as per cricket.com.au.
Now, Australia needs four replacements, with atleast two all-round talents to cover up for the loss of balance and experience in the team.
The final squad will be announced after the second Test against Sri Lanka, currently ongoing at Galle.
Marsh withdrew from the tournament because of a back injury that has worsened over time and affected his workload in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he missed the final Test. He is currently undergoing rehab.
Cummins has been suffering due to an ankle issue sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he bowled 167 overs, the most by any bowler, to pick up 25 scalps. Hazlewood has been battling a hip issue that he sustained after recovering from side and calf strains that ruled him out of three BGT Test matches.
Both pacers will need an extended period of rehabilitation before receiving clearance to compete. Their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also in doubt.
Australia’s next committment in international cricket after Champions Trophy will be the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in mid-June.
Australia preliminary squad for Champions Trophy (yet to be finalised): Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
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