Melbourne [Australia], February 12 : Mitchell Starc has withdrawn from the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy citing personal reasons, as Australia reshuffled their 15-player squad under the leadership of Steven Smith.
Australia was already dealing with significant setbacks following the injuries to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh. Starc's withdrawal further depletes their frontline pace attack for the tournament, which begins on February 19 in Pakistan and the UAE.
The left-arm pacer, who has requested privacy regarding his decision, showed signs of discomfort during the latter stages of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
"We understand and respect Mitch's decision," chair of selectors George Bailey said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Mitch [Starc] is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia," he added.
"His well documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first should be applauded. His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament," he said.
Smith, who recently captained Australia to a 2-0 Test series victory in Sri Lanka, will step in as skipper in the absence of Cummins and Marsh.
To bolster the squad, Australia has brought in Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, and Tanveer Sangha. Additionally, Cooper Connolly will travel as a reserve player.
Fraser-McGurk, who has a modest ODI average of 17.40 from five matches but impressed with a 95 off 46 balls in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Melbourne Renegades, adds depth to the top order following Marsh's absence. Johnson, a left-arm pacer, offers a like-for-like replacement for Starc, though he is yet to take a wicket in his two ODI appearances. Meanwhile, leg-spinner Sangha, who was already with the Test squad in Sri Lanka as a development player, will partner with Adam Zampa as the team's second frontline spinner.
"The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis," Bailey said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"The upside of that is that we have been able to call on players who have had international exposure and success over the past 12 months," he added.
"A strong core of some our most experienced players will provide a strong foundation in our attempt to win this edition of the Champions Trophy. We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face," he said.
Australia will fine-tune their preparations with two ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo on February 12 and 14 before opening their Champions Trophy campaign against England on February 22. They will then face South Africa on February 25 and Afghanistan on February 28.
Australia Champions Trophy 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