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Australia’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign has got off to a flying start after their remarkable performance against England. The team has managed to display splendid form with the bat and carved out a stunning run-chase to solidify their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the prestigious ICC tournament.
However, while Australia displayed some majestic batting in their opening game of the tournament, the bowling has been a cause of concern for the world cup winners. The English team gave the Australian bowling unit a tough time as they went on to score a mammoth total of 351 runs.
The main concern for Australia’s bowling woes is the absence of seasoned Australian bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. As Australia aim to head towards the next stage of the tournament, Starc has opened up on the reason behind him pulling out of the tournament.
Mitchell Starc points out reason behind not playing Champions Trophy 2025
Starc became the final member of Australia’s primary pace attack to withdraw from the tournament two weeks ago, with officials citing “personal reasons” for his decision. At 35 years old, Starc has played more cricket than any other Australian fast bowler this summer, having participated in seven Test matches against India and Sri Lanka. The demanding schedule has understandably taken a toll on him, both physically and mentally.
“There are a few different reasons, some personal views, I had a bit of ankle pain through the Test series, so I just need to get that one right. Obviously, we have the Test final coming up and a West Indies tour after that. There is some IPL cricket as well. But the main one at the top of my mind is the Test final. Get my body right, play some cricket in the next couple of months and then ready to go for the Test final,” Starc said during a discussion at the Willow Talk Podcast.
Starc had pushed through rib soreness to feature in the SCG Test against India and dealt with ankle pain during the Sri Lanka tour. The pace wizard wants to recover from the fatigue ahead of a challenging season of red ball cricket ahead with WTC finals against South Africa in June followed by a tour to the Caribbean.
Also Read: Here’s how Australia can qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025
Australia still uncertain for a place in the semi-finals
Australia’s previous match against South Africa was washed out after rain affected the proceedings of the match. Both teams had to share the points of the match and now enter their final group stage fixtures. Australia’s last group stage match is against Afghanistan who are currently on the seventh sky after a triumphant win over England in a nail-biting contest. A win for the Aussies would pave the way for them to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. However, a defeat would jeopardize their chances and could be the end of their journey in the competition.
