‘There are a few…’: Mitchell Starc reveals the reason behind Champions Trophy withdrawal

Though the experienced Australia pacer was named in the Baggy Greens' preliminary squad for the tournament, he was absent from their final 15-member squad

Australia star pacer Mitchell Starc broke silence on his withdrawal from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The left-arm seamer was named in Australia’s preliminary squad for the tournament but was absent when the 2-time champions revealed their final 15-member squad for the ICC event.

Australia said at the time that Starc had withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons and they supported the move. The experienced cricketer has now provided clarity as to why he skipped the major tournament.

“There are a few different reasons, some personal views. I had a bit of ankle pain through the Test series, so I just need to get that one right. Obviously, we have the Test final coming up and a West Indies tour after that. There is some IPL cricket as well. The main one at the top of my mind is the Test final. Get my body right, play some cricket in the next couple of months, and then ready to go for the Test final,” Starc said on the Willow Talk podcast, as quoted by ICC.

Starc’s withdrawal from the tournament led to Australia entering the ICC event with a pace attack of Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis.

Australia started the tournament strong by beating arch-rivals England in convincing fashion, however a washout against South Africa has left the Baggy Greens needing a win against Afghanistan in their final group match to reach the knockout stage of the event.

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