Australia's bid to win the Champions Trophy 2025 suffered a major blow on Wednesday (February 12) with their formidable pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood getting ruled out of the ICC tournament.

Cummins (ankle) and Hazlewood (side and calf) were always unlikely to play, but Starc has also opted out of the marquee event citing personal reasons.

Steve Smith will captain Australia after standing in for Cummins during their two-Test tout of Sri Lanka this month.

The 15-member squad doesn’t include all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who retired from the ODI format last week, and Mitchell Marsh who was previously omitted with a back issue.

"The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis," said chief selector George Bailey.

"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.

"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," he added.

"We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face."

Starc was the only Australian fast bowler to play all seven Tests against India and Sri Lanka in the last three months.

Bailey said he respected the left-arm quick’s decision, with the reasons for his withdrawal to remain private.

"Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia," he said.

"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."

Starc will also skip the two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting in Colombo later today.

The loss of Australia's esteemed pace attack has opened the door for the likes of Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis and Ben Dwarshuis.

Aaron Hardie takes over as the seaming all-rounder while emerging leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha was included to complement Adam Zampa.

Australia will open their Champions Trophy campaign on February 22 against England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Australia 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