Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Australia received another blow as their star pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the tournament.
The pacer is running out of time to recover from the hamstring injury. Earlier, veteran pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out of the entire tournament due to a persistent back injury and was replaced in the 15-man squad by Ben Dwarshuis.
Earlier, Cricket Australia stated that the pacer would make his return in the middle of the tournament and would play across the venues in India and Sri Lanka.
“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage but the latest indications he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk,” said selector Tony Dodemaide.
He also stated that Australia is not in a hurry to name a replacement player for Hazlewood. The decision could be taken later, depending on the need of the situation.
“We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time,” he said.
Nathan Ellis and Tim David are on track to be available for the group stage, while Adam Zampa will be available for the first match in Colombo next week.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to kick off from February 7, and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Australia is placed in Group B of the tournament along with teams Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.
The Aussies will begin their campaign by playing a clash against Ireland on February 11 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
The “Super 8” stage of the marquee event will begin from February 21. Semi-final 1 and semi-final 2 of the tournament are scheduled on March 4 and 5, respectively.
The title clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played on March 8, with the venue yet to be confirmed.
Australia`s updated squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh (C), Adam Zampa, Travis Head, Ben Dwarshuis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Matt Renshaw, Josh Inglis (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Cameron Green, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cooper Connolly.
(With PTI Inputs)
