ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Key players ruled out due to injuries

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to kick off on February 19, with eight teams finalizing their preparations. However, several teams will be missing key players due to injuries and other reasons.Many teams had to make last-minute squad changes due to injuries, forcing them to adopt new strategies. Here are the top players who will miss the tournament:Pakistan• Saim Ayub: The 22-year-old talented batter suffered an ankle injury during the Test series against South Africa, ruling him out. His absence is a significant blow for Pakistan, as he had already scored three ODI centuries in just nine matches.India• Jasprit Bumrah: The star pacer suffered a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and failed to recover in time. He will be replaced by Harshit Rana in the squad. Australia• Pat Cummins: The Australian captain is out due to an ankle injury, with Steve Smith taking over the captaincy.• Mitchell Starc: The legendary pacer withdrew due to personal reasons, weakening Australia’s pace attack.• Josh Hazlewood: Another key fast bowler, ruled out due to injury.• Marcus Stoinis: The all-rounder retired from ODI cricket to focus on T20s.• Mitchell Marsh: Sidelined due to fitness issues.South Africa• Anrich Nortje: Ruled out due to a back injury.• Gerald Coetzee: Suffered a thigh strain during training and will also miss the tournament.Afghanistan• M.A. Ghaznfar: The young spinner suffered a fracture and is out for four months.England• Jacob Bethell: The all-rounder sustained a hamstring injury during the India series. Tom Banton has replaced him.New Zealand• Ben Sears: Suffered a hamstring injury during training in Karachi and will be replaced by Jacob Duffy.