Short, Hardie join experienced Aussie squad for Champs Trophy

Matt Short and Aaron Hardie have earned their maiden national call ups for an ICC event as Australia's selectors announced an allrounder-heavy squad for next month's Champions Trophy.

Australia – two-time winners of the 50-over event – today named a 15-player squad for the tournament to be held across Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, with no room for Jake Fraser-McGurk after a lean run of scores this summer.

Nathan Ellis has earned a berth after leading Hobart Hurricanes into the KFC BBL|14 finals, one of three changes alongside Short and Hardie from the squad that won the ODI World Cup 14 months ago. David Warner (retired), Cameron Green (back surgery) and Sean Abbott are the players to make way.

Australia squad for Champions Trophy: Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pat Cummins will lead the side but his participation in the tournament remains under a cloud after selection chair George Bailey revealed he had carried an ankle problem throughout Australia's 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph.

The ICC mandated the eight participating nations must name their preliminary 15-man squads five weeks prior to the start of the tournament on February 19, but teams are permitted to make changes until a week before the first game. Any changes after that date require ICC approval.

Australia have been drawn in Group B alongside Afghanistan, England and South Africa, with all their round robin matches to be played in Pakistan at Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Test and ODI captain Cummins was already sitting out the Test tour of Sri Lanka prior to the Champions Trophy to remain at home where wife Becky is due to give birth to the couple's second child.

Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood (calf) and allrounder Mitch Marsh (omitted) have also returned for the Champions Trophy after missing selection for the Sri Lanka Tests.

The same squad will play Sri Lanka in a one-off ODI in the southern port city of Hambantota three days after the second Test in Galle, which will be the side's only warm-up fixture prior to their tournament opener against England in Lahore on February 22.

"This is a balanced and experienced squad with the core having been involved in the previous one-day World Cup, the West Indies series, last year's successful tour of the UK and the more recent Pakistan home series," Bailey said today.

"It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan."

Since their reintroduction to the global touring schedule in 2019, seam bowling (199 wickets, economy rate 5.77) has generally proved more effective compared to spin (120 wickets, economy 5.52) in the 23 one-day internationals in played in Pakistan, which suits Australia's preferred balance of Adam Zampa as the sole specialist spinner supported by the three quicks and allrounders.

Australia also lost 2-1 to Pakistan in their most recent ODI series in the subcontinent nation.

Short has played nine of Australia's 11 ODIs since Warner's retirement and made a stunning return from a broken toe for the Adelaide Strikers on Saturday with his second Big Bash century to lead his side to a record 5-251 from their 20 overs.

Short and Fraser-McGurk – who were both travelling reserves during last year's T20 World Cup – had been jostling for the vacancy as Travis Head's opening partner since Warner announced his retirement last summer, with selectors appearing to show their hand in the UK in September when Fraser-McGurk was left out for all five ODIs against England despite being in the travelling squad.

The 22-year-old returned to the side in November with Head and Marsh both on paternity leave, scoring 16, 13 and 7 in a three-match series against current Champions Trophy title-holders Pakistan that Australia lost 2-1.

Fraser-McGurk hasn't fared much better in the ongoing BBL|14 campaign for Melbourne Renegades with a top score of 26 from eight innings.

Alongside Short who bowls off-spin and Hardie pace, selectors have included another three all-rounder options in Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, while Head and Marnus Labuschagne's spin was also called on during the series in England.

Alex Carey's form in that 3-2 victory over England (164 runs at 82) where he was Australia second highest run-scorer behind Head has led to his inclusion as a back-up batting and keeping option for Josh Inglis.

Hardie also played several crucial knocks from No.8 in the UK, and took career-best international figures of 3-21 in his last game for Australia in November, but he hasn't bowled in his five BBL|14 matches since returning Boxing Day from quad issue he's been managing for the past year.

The two-and-a-half week Champions Trophy format was last played in 2017 in the UK where Pakistan beat India in the final at The Oval.

Australia, the current men's and women's ODI World Cup champions, as well as the reigning Under-19 men's title holders, will be looking to complete the set of 50-over global trophies on offer from the ICC.

The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals where they'll play off for a spot in the decider on March 9 to be held in either Lahore or Dubai.

India will play all their matches in Dubai, which will also host the first semi-final, following an ICC announcement in December they and Pakistan will play their matches at neutral venues for global events hosted by their rival for at least the next three years.

All Champions Trophy matches will be broadcast on Prime Video in Australia after global streaming giant acquired the rights for ICC events for the 2024-27 period.

2025 ICC Men's Champions Trophy

Australia preliminary squad: Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia Group B fixtures

February 22: Australia v England, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

February 25: Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi (8pm AEDT)

February 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai (8pm AEDT)

March 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)