“I love captaining” - Steve Smith ready to lead Australia in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Australian stand-in Test captain Steve Smith is confident of leading the Australian side if Pat Cummins misses out on making it to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to an ankle injury. Notably, Cummins is out of the Sri Lanka tour with Steve Smith leading the Test side.

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Ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, Smith stated that he loves to lead the side in the sub-continent conditions. Smith last led Australia in the sub-continent against India in the last two Tests in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23 season. 

"I haven't given it too much thought. We will wait and see about that squad. I am focusing on the Test series. We want to win the series this time and then focus on ODI cricket. But I love captaining in these conditions, I understand the game well, the angles that need to be created, moving the pieces around the chessboard, it's good fun. I have enjoyed it so far," Smith told the media ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

It’s worth noting that Smith led the Australian side to a nine-wicket win over India in the third Test of the BGT 2022-23 series in Indore. Later, he helped the side in drawing in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.

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The Aussies are part of Group B at the Champions Trophy alongside Afghanistan, England, and South Africa. They will play two ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo ahead of the Champions Trophy, with the majority of the squad likely to fly out to Sri Lanka soon.

A look at Australia’s preliminary squad

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

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