Australia has suffered another major blow just before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as experienced bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the upcoming tournament due to injury. Earlier, fast bowler Pat Cummins was also ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, and now the Australian team, under the captaincy of Mitchell Marsh, will be relying on only two fully fit pacers, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett, for the tournament. Cricket Australia confirmed this on Friday.
Josh Hazlewood ruled out due to injury
Josh Hazlewood suffered a hamstring injury during a Sheffield Shield match on November 12. He hasn’t played a single match since then, yet he was initially included in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. However, when the Australian team arrived in Sri Lanka this week, Hazlewood remained in Sydney. Now, just five days before Australia’s first match against Ireland in Colombo, selector Tony Dodemaide has made it clear that Hazlewood is out of the tournament.
Dodemaide said, “We were hoping that Josh Hazlewood would regain match fitness by the Super 8 stage, but the latest update makes it clear that he needs more time. Accelerating his rehabilitation process could be quite risky.” He further clarified that no replacement player will be announced at this time. According to Dodemaide, the team has enough options for the initial matches, and a decision will be made later depending on the situation if needed.
Sean Abbott ready to fill the void
For the first time since 2011, the Australian team will be playing in a World Cup without its three biggest fast bowlers. Currently, Australia has only two fully fit pacers: right-arm swing bowler Xavier Bartlett and left-arm bowler Ben Dwarshuis. Additionally, Sean Abbott, who is in the reserves, could be included in the team in place of Hazlewood if needed.
Australia squad for the T20 World Cup 2026:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Reserve player: Sean Abbott
