Australia’s Adam Gilchrist suggests a surprising choice as Travis Head’s opening partner for Champions Trophy 2025

Australia, a six-time World Cup-winning nation, will enter the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as a formidable contender. However, their journey appears significantly tougher this time due to the absence of key players.

Australia’s squad challenges for Champions Trophy 2025

The team will be without Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh due to injuries, while Mitchell Starc has opted out for personal reasons. Additionally, Marcus Stoinis’ retirement from ODIs leaves a noticeable gap in their squad. This means Australia will field a substantially different side from the one that lifted the ODI World Cup 2023. Despite these setbacks, Australia’s competitive nature remains intact, and they will look to reclaim the Champions Trophy for the first time since 2009.

With Cummins ruled out, Steve Smith has been entrusted with the leadership role for the tournament. This will mark a significant moment in Smith’s career, as he returns to captaincy in a major ICC event after being stripped of it in 2018. Leading a squad that lacks its first-choice fast bowlers and senior all-rounders will be a major test for Smith. Australia will have to rely on a mix of experienced players and young talents as they prepare for the tournament in Pakistan’s challenging conditions.

Gilchrist picks the opening partner of Travis Head

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has suggested a bold move – playing Smith as an opener alongside Travis Head in ODIs. Gilchrist believed that giving Smith more deliveries to face could be beneficial, despite his underwhelming numbers as an opener across formats – 242 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.25, with a highest score of 91 and a strike rate of 63.68. While Smith has never opened in ODIs, Gilchrist pointed out that he has succeeded in T20s at the top and could be an asset in the role for 50-over cricket.

“It’s a challenging one at the moment, but Smith should open. I didn’t see where he was slotted in the game against Sri Lanka. Obviously, Travis is going to be there – he’s fresh and fit. I also like Matt Short being there – he can form a nice left-hand-right-hand combination – that would be the preferred way for me to go. But I do think Smith can open – we have seen him do that in 20-over cricket really well,” Gilchrist said on ABC Summer Grandstand.

Also READ: Champions Trophy 2025: Australia’s Michael Clarke predicts top run-scorer, wicket-taker and player of the tournament

A tough group stage and limited preparation

Australia’s Champions Trophy 2025 group consists of England, Afghanistan and South Africa – three teams that could pose significant challenges, especially in subcontinental conditions.

Gilchrist believed Australia’s limited preparation for this format could make the tournament challenging, especially since many teams, including Australia, have prioritized 50-over cricket in a World Cup year. He acknowledged that this tournament offers a chance to experiment with younger players, which may lead to mixed results. While Australia have a strong track record of adapting and progressing in tournaments, the absence of some key players could make this a difficult campaign, especially in unfamiliar conditions.

“I guess there’s been limited preparation with regards to this format. The Australian team were outstanding in the huge summer – both men’s and women’s. But a lot of nations will focus on 50-over cricket when it’s a World Cup year certainly in terms of volume of the games and who’s actually playing it. That’s what Australia do well – they scrape well, but it’s going to be challenging in those conditions over there. They don’t have the full strength of players who they would like to take typically, so this might be a tough tournament for them,” Gilchrist concluded.

Also READ: Australia’s Michael Clarke picks his favourite team to win Champions Trophy 2025

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