Australia has announced their 15-man squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy to be hosted in Pakistan. The regular skipper for Australia, Mitchell Marsh, has been sidelined due to a lower back injury. As a result, Steve Smith will be leading the team. Australia will be playing a team without their three bowling musketeers, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Jos Hazlewood. Pat Cummins has been battling ankle issues since the conclusion of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Josh Hazlewood had been sidelined from the team earlier during the Border Gavaskar Test due to side strain issues. Both Cummins and Hazlewood skipped the Sri Lanka tour. However, Mitchell Starc was included in the Australia squad in South Africa but opted out of the Champions Trophy due to personal reasons. Notably, selectors confirmed that Starc will play two warm-up ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Being empathetic to Starc, George Bailey said, “We understand and respect Mitch’s decision. His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament." Added, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis announced retirement from One Day Internationals prior to the final squad announcement. Australia will now rely on a relatively inexperienced pace quartet consisting of Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis, and Nathan Ellis. Read also: Speculations End: Jasprit Bumrah Out of 2025 Champions Trophy Explosive batter Jake Fraser-McGurk has earned a place in the 15-member squad and is being considered as a potential replacement for Mitchell Marsh at the crucial No. 3 position in the batting order. Meanwhile, the opening slots are expected to be filled by Matt Short and Travis Head, both of whom bring aggressive stroke play to the top of the order. Additionally, leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has also secured a position in the squad. The young spinner, who last featured in an ODI match in September 2023 during Australia’s tour of India, will be looking to make a strong impact if given an opportunity in the playing XI. Australia Champions Trophy 2025 final squad: Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.