Champions Trophy 2025: Australia - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities And Threats

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Australian team in ODIs [Source: AP Photos]Australian team in ODIs [Source: AP Photos]

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The Champions Trophy is just days to start and take over the cricket fans around the world. As the eight teams participating in the tournament gear up, we will deeply analyse each team and try to see who are the strongest.

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 Some of the key players have withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons.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.

In this article, we will look at the Australian squad for the tournament and take a deep look into their strengths and weaknesses.

Australia Squad For ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Batters: Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne
All-rounders: Sean Abbott, Aaron Hardie, Genn Maxwell
Bowlers: Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa

Strengths Of Australian Team For ICC Champions Trophy 2025

1. Balance In The Top Order

ODI Stats Of Australian Top Order [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]ODI Stats Of Australian Top Order [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]

Inference: 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.

2. Steve Smith's Leadership

Categories
Stats
Matches Played61
Matches Won
31
Matches Lost27
Win%50.82

Table: Steve Smith's ODI Captaincy Record

Inference: 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 revals 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.

3. Match Winners In The Middle Order

ODI Stats Of Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]ODI Stats Of Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]

Inference: 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.

Weaknesses Of Australian Team For ICC Champions Trophy 2025

1. Inexperience In The Pace Department

Matches played by pacers of each team [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]Matches played by pacers of each team [Courtesy: @DataWrapper]

Inference: The chart revelas the number of ODI matches played by the pacers of each team ahead of Champions Trophy 2025. If we look at the numbers, then it is clear that the Australia have very little experience when it comes to their pace department. 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.

2. Absence Of Pat Cummins, The Clutch Performer

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. 

Pat Cummins has been ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @SpeaksHaris/x.com]Pat Cummins has been ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @SpeaksHaris/x.com]

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.

Opportunities For Australian Team In Champions Trophy 2025

1. Grooming The Next Generation Of Players For The ODI Format

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 fromat and build a team for the future.

Threats For Australian Team In Champions Trophy 2025

1. Injury Proneness Of The Players In the Squad

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 processs during the tournament.

2. Lack Of Depth In The All-rounders Department

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. 

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 insticnts of the champions and could turn around their campaign at any stage.