Melbourne, Jan 13 : Allrounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie have been named in Australia's 15-man preliminary squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, set to commence on February 19 across Pakistan and the UAE.

Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins, who were not included in the Australia's squad for Sri Lanka tour have also been named while wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey has retained his position.

Matt Short, who has been in impressive form in the Big Bash League (BBL), and Aaron Hardie, a promising pace-bowling all-rounder, are the standout inclusions. Short has cemented his place as an opening batter since David Warner's retirement, playing nine of Australia's 11 ODIs during this period. Hardie, returning from a quad issue, offers depth in both batting and bowling.

Nathan Ellis, instrumental in leading the Hobart Hurricanes to the BBL 14 final, also makes the cut. Notably, Jake Fraser-McGurk misses out following a lean run with the bat, with the selectors favoring Short for the opening slot alongside Travis Head.

Cummins, the ODI and Test captain, will lead the squad but remains doubtful for the tournament due to an ankle injury. Cameron Green (back surgery) and Sean Abbott have also been excluded from the squad.

Selectors have opted for an all-rounder-heavy lineup, including Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and the versatile spin options of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. Adam Zampa is the sole specialist spinner, supported by a pace attack comprising Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Ellis.

Selector George Bailey expressed confidence in the squad's adaptability. 'This is a balanced and experienced squad with the core having been involved in the previous one-day World Cup, the West Indies series, and last year's successful tour of the UK. It offers a variety of options depending on opposition and the conditions in Pakistan.'

Australia, two-time winners of the Champions Trophy, has been drawn in Group B alongside Afghanistan, England, and South Africa. All group-stage matches will take place in Pakistan at Lahore and Rawalpindi. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, leading to the final on March 9 in either Lahore or Dubai.

The Champions Trophy format, last played in 2017, is compact, with 15 matches played over two and a half weeks. Australia, who are the reigning men's and women's ODI World Cup champions as well as Under-19 title holders, will aim to complete the set of ICC's 50-over trophies.

Before their Champions Trophy opener against England on February 22 in Lahore, Australia will play a one-off ODI against Sri Lanka in Hambantota. This match, scheduled three days after the second Test in Galle, will serve as their only warm-up fixture.

In Pakistan, seamers have traditionally fared better, taking 199 wickets at an economy rate of 5.77 compared to 120 wickets by spinners at 5.52 in ODIs since 2019. This trend suits Australia's pace-heavy approach, although conditions may still challenge the team, given their 2-1 series loss to Pakistan in their last ODI tour of the region.

Australia preliminary squad for ICC Champions Trophy:

Pat Cummins (C), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

/IANS