"Pat Cummins hasn't been able to resume any type of bowling so he's heavily unlikely, so that would mean that we do need a captain," ICC quoted McDonald as saying on SEN Radio. "Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two that we've been having conversations with while we've been building out that Champions Trophy team along with Pat (Cummins) back home.

In a massive setback for the Australian team, captain Pat Cummins is 'heavily unlikely' to board the flight to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which starts on February 19. The news of Cummins came after all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has already been ruled out.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia captain Pat Cummins is all but ruled out of the Champions Trophy while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt for the ODI tournament, coach Andrew McDonald said on Wednesday.