Australia`s star pacer Josh Hazlewood will not travel with the national squad in the early part of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka.
He will continue his rehabilitation after recovering from the injury, confirmed national selector Rony Dodemaide.
Players such as Nathan Ellis, Tim David, and Glenn Maxwell have reached Colombo and will join the Australia squad for the global showpiece, he said.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to kick off from February 7, with the tournament-opening clash scheduled to be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka.
“Nathan, Tim and Glenn have arrived in Colombo and we look forward to meeting up with them when we arrive from Pakistan. We felt with Josh it was more practical and beneficial for him to continue his rehabilitation at home in a familiar environment before travelling to Sri Lanka,” he said.
Further speaking, the selector also said that with Ellis completing his return to the team, the Australian think tank has included Sean Abbott in their squad as a backup pacer.
“With Nathan also completing his return to play we decided to bring Sean with us as fast bowling cover should anything come up at short notice. Sean is an accomplished and versatile international player who has experienced numerous World Cup campaigns. It made sense for him to stay with the group following the Pakistan tour,” said Dodemaide.
Ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, Australia is placed in Group B along with teams such as 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. They will then lock horns against Zimbabwe on February 13 at the same venue.
Their third clash of the group stage will be against Sri Lanka on February 16 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Balagolla. The side will conclude its group stage matches by playing a clash against Oman on February 20 at the same venue.
The Super 8 stage of the marquee event will begin from February 21. The semi-final 1 and semi-final 2 are scheduled to be played on March 4 and 5, respectively.
The title clash will be played on March 8, and the venue of the match is yet to be confirmed.
(With PTI Inputs)
