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Cummins 'hugely unlikely' to play for Australia in ICC Champions Trophy

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Australia coach Andrew McDonald says captain Pat Cummins is "heavily unlikely" to be fit for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Cummins is absent from their current series in Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child, which Australia lead 1-0 after an innings and 242-run win in the first Test.

However, he has also been nursing an ankle issue that flared up following their five-Test series against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt despite being named in Australia's preliminary squad, having recently struggled with calf and side issues.

If Cummins is unavailable for the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19, McDonald has a decision to make about his stand-in captain, with Steve Smith, who is currently fulfilling that role in Sri Lanka, and Travis Head the options.

Smith has previously captained Australia in 59 ODI matches, while Head has never led the team in that format, though he has been in charge for one T20I – a defeat to England last year.

"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," McDonald told SEN.

"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 back home. They'll be the two that we look at for that leadership post.

"They're the two obvious ones. Steve has done a great job here in the [first] Test match. He's done some good work in one-day international cricket across the journey as well. So it's between those two.

"But, as I said, Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of a shame, and we've also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling [to be fit] at the moment.

"So that medical information will land over the next couple of days, and we'll be able to shore that up and let everyone know the direction."

Teams have until February 12 to make changes to their preliminary squad, with Australia still yet to call up a replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh.

Australia's Champions Trophy campaign begins against England on February 22.