Australia and ICC trophies is a love relationship that has now gone past two decades. The word dominance is equivalent to team Australia since the past 2 decades coming to ICC trophies having their hold on 5 World Cup 50 overs Trophies , 2 Champions Trophies and 1 T20I Trophy, come ICC event of 2025 Champions Trophy Australia would be raring to go once again against the oppositions.
However , Australia have suffered some set backs to their plans ahead of the tournament. Some of the key players have withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons. However, they will be looking to pluck all their shortcomings and present a strong challenge to the other participants during the tournament.
SWOT Analysis of Australia Team
Strengths :
No other team has a better record in global events — six 50-over World Cups, one T20 World Cup and two Champions Trophies make them the most fearsome white-ball unit.
They have a model ODI batting line-up, which can do the shapeshifting with the ebb and flow of the game. Skipper Steve Smith, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Jake-Fraser McGurk, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell etc can be a handful in any conditions.
Veteran star Steve Smith, fresh off a Test series win in Sri Lanka, will lead them in the Champions Trophy. Along with Smith, explosive all-rounders Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell, who played a crucial role in Australia’s Cricket World Cup 2023 triumph, will also be key to their chances. Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey and Adam Zampa are other experienced names in the outfit.
The hard-hitting Head has been instrumental to Australia’s success across formats in recent years, confirmed recently when he claimed the Allan Border Medal as the country’s most outstanding cricketer in the 2024 calendar year. He was the star performer in Australia’s 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign, starring in the semi-final and final wins against South Africa and India respectively, and will be expected to play a similar role in Pakistan and the UAE.
The 31-year-old averaged 82 in a four-match series in England in September last year, his most recent taste of white-ball cricket. Head is ranked 12th in the ICC Batting Rankings.
Looking at the Australian squad, one can predict that Travis Head and Matthew Short will open the innings for them, followed by Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at number three and four. A look at the their stats, gives us the idea that these four bring about great balance. While Head and Short can take the attack to the opposition from the very beginning of their innings, Smith and Labuschagne can take time and build their knocks steadily giving their team a solid foundation.
Steve Smith will be leading Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025. Notably, Smith has already led the team before and has proven himself as a leader. His winning percentage reveals a part of his strength as a captain. But beyond the stats, Smith has great game reading skills and can be a pro-active leader under pressure. His presence on the field as a captain will be a big strength for the Australian team in the tournament.
Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell will be batting in the middle-order for Australia. Both Inglis and Maxwell can bat as per the demands of a match and change the complexion of a game towards their team from any stage. Josh Inglis is yet to reach his full potential in the ODI format but in different leagues and in the T20I format, the wicketkeeper-batter has shown that he can stay unfazed under pressure and propel his way through pressure.
Glenn Maxwell, on the other hand, has shown his abilities as a match winner. The Afghanistan match in the ODI World Cup 2023 was a prime example of his abilities. The presence of these two batters could be a strength for the Australian team in pressure situations and big matches.
The tournament’s venue in Pakistan is likely to provide spin-friendly conditions, giving spinners such as Adam Zampa a chance to shine. However, he is the only specialist spinner in the squad. Hence, Maxwell would be required to contribute significantly with the ball.
Weaknesses :
Two-time winners of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, Australia will look to add another title to their trophy cabinet. However, even before the tournament begins, the side from Down Under have been impacted by injuries to key players, with regular skipper Pat Cummins, and pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood along with all-rounder Mitch Marsh all ruled out of the Champions Trophy. This, along with the surprise retirement of Marcus Stoinis, has forced Australia to call-up several back-up players.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh has also been ruled out with a back injury. In a surprising turn of events, Marcus Stoinis announced his retirement. These developments have further complicated Australia’s squad selection for the upcoming tournament. Copper Connolly is tipped to replace Marsh while Beau Webster is likely to step in for Stoinis. However, both these all-rounders lack experience and this could dent Australia’s combination.
Pat Cummins, the team’s regular captain, has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Josh Hazlewood is also out of the tournament due to a calf injury. These injuries have compelled Australia to make major changes to their original squad for the Champions Trophy. Cummins and Hazlewood’s ousters have also significantly weakened their bowling as Mitchell Starc will now lead an inexperienced pace attack.
They will be without Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, and that means the batters will have to do the heavy lifting in the tournament to give that extra cushion of runs to the bowlers. The pacers in the side have played 37 games all together. There is a huge lack of experience in this department and this could be exposed under pressure or in big matches.
Pat Cummins has been Captain Marvel for Australia in the last few seasons. He has a great win percentage and has also won the majority of the trophies with the team. His absence as a captain will be a big loss for Australia, but the management will hope to overcome that with the experience and strategic acumen of Steve Smith.
However in Pat Cummins, Australia might miss a clutch performer during the tournament. Cummins has the strange knack for doing something out of the ordinary under pressure an in crucial situations. It could be a crucial wicket or a valuable contribution with the bat, like he did against Afghanistan in ODI World Cup 2023, the would shift the momentum completely in favour of his team. The absence of Pat Cummins will make the Aussies miss this X-factor during the tournament and that could hurt them big during the campaign.
Despite boasting some prominent names, Australia could face challenges in the Champions Trophy. Most of the players haven’t played many ODIs of late, which could make it difficult for them to transition into this shorter format. If they don’t adapt quickly in their opening match, it could spell trouble for them due to the tournament’s condensed schedule. Adding to the misery, Marnus Labuschagne, one of their key batters, has been out of touch lately.
Opportunity :
It’s a chance to assert their dominance in a 50-over format and the Antipodeans would not want to miss it, and that desire should be their driving force against a set of group mates who are not exactly firing. The Australian team that is travelling to play the Champions Trophy 2025 has some players who have burst into the scene very recently.
Players like Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short have proven themselves in the T20 format but are yet to find their feet in the ODIs. The Champions Trophy 2025 will give the Australian management an opportunity to groom these players for the ODI format and build a team for the future.
Threats :
Australia are coming into the CT after a 0-2 defeat against Sri Lanka in the recent ODI series. The middling form of Labuschagne and McGurk will be a concern.
The Australian team has already been hit by some injuries and has been weakened ahead of the grand tournament. However, the players that are a part of the team now are also to prone to injury. Aaron Hardie is coming into the tournament from an injury. Besides him, players like Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson have nursed injuries in the recent past and it can haunt the players and the team in the process during the tournament.
Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out due to injury from the Champions Trophy and Marcus Stoinis has announced his retirement from ODI just ahead of the tournament. The withdrawal of these players has brought about a lack of depth for the team in the department. The six time World Champions have always thrived because of the all-rounders they have had, however, for Champions Trophy 2025 they seem to lack depth and variation in the department.
Notably, Australia have been drawn in a tough group with England, Pakistan, Afghanistan and South Africa. This means there won’t be any easy matches for them in the competition.
Australia ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Squad: Steve Smith (c), 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.
Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly
Predictions For Australia In Champions Trophy 2025
The withdrawal some of the key players have weakened the Australian squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. Some of their crucial members and clutch players will not be playing in the tournament. In the absence of the key players and impact performers, it seems hard for them to qualify for the semifinals. However, one must remember that it is Australia and they have the instincts of the champions and could turn around their campaign at any stage.
Australia will be without their premier pacers but their envious pedigree in ICC tournaments make them favourites to progress to the semifinals of the Champions Trophy from Group B along with South Africa. But they will face stiff challenges from England and Afghanistan.