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As Australia gears up for its Champions Trophy opener against England on Saturday, captain Steve Smith remains confident that his team’s emerging talents will rise to the occasion despite missing key stars.
The defending ODI world champions have been hit hard by several high-profile absences, including fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are sidelined due to injury, and Mitchell Starc, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.
In addition, Mitchell Marsh is unavailable due to injury, and Marcus Stoinis’ sudden retirement from one-day internationals has left Australia looking depleted. With over 40 ODIs between them, second-tier pace bowlers such as Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, and Nathan Ellis are set to take up the challenge.
“It is clear we are missing our gun fast bowlers, but we are not worried about that,” Smith told reporters. “We are thinking about what we have got here and the opportunity those guys have. It’s going to be great to see them placed under pressure against some quality oppositions and it is going to be an exciting time for us.”
Smith further added, “I think they have been placed under pressure, under many different scenarios, in T20 cricket or different T20 franchises around the world.”
Australia has been a dominant force in ICC tournaments, winning six ODI World Cup titles, two Champions Trophy trophies, and one T20 World Cup. Despite this, Smith acknowledged that their recent record in the Champions Trophy has been below par.
“The pressure of big tournaments gets the best out of us as a team,” Smith said. “But over the last 10 or so years we haven’t performed as we would have liked in the Champions Trophy. Our message to the group is essentially it’s a quarter-final to begin proceedings and hopefully that can bring the best out of our players.”
Both Australia and England enter the tournament coming off series defeats to Sri Lanka and India, with Australia suffering a 2-0 ODI loss in Sri Lanka and England going down 3-0 in India.
“We both didn’t play as well as we would have liked in the last couple of weeks, but that doesn’t mean a great deal coming into tomorrow,” said Smith. “I think it’s a fresh start, it’s a new tournament. Two good teams going at it, so I am looking forward to it tomorrow, should be a good game.”
England’s Jos Buttler, in his pre-match comments, acknowledged the challenge of facing Australia, even with their depleted pace attack.
He said, “They have been a real pillar of success for Australia for a long period of time, so naturally there’ll be a miss for their team. But they’ve got some top players to step into those shoes as well and Australia always over time have performed very well in ICC tournaments. We expect a really tough challenge.”
Despite missing their key pace bowlers, Buttler noted Australia’s resilience and strength in big tournaments, stating, “England and Australia, there’s always a great rivalry and a competitive match. And obviously, in the Champions Trophy format, each game is really a massive game, so we look forward to it.”
On the fitness front, Buttler was confident about fast bowler Jofra Archer’s availability and fitness, stating, “He’s been fit and firing now for… 18 months or so since being out of the game for a while. So, he’s really excited to put together a performance.”
Buttler also expressed confidence in his squad’s experience playing in Pakistan, saying, “I think everywhere you go around the world, everywhere has its own nuances and different conditions. We’ve got lots of guys who’ve played in Pakistan before, so sharing those experiences.”
As the tournament progresses, England hopes to capitalize on its experiences and competitive spirit, while Australia is counting on its fresh talent to deliver when it matters the most.
The Champions Trophy Group B clash between the two arch-rivals will be crucial for both sides, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
