The Australian men`s cricket team has suffered a massive blow as star pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury. They announced their 15-member squad for the global showpiece, which will be led by Mitchell Marsh.
The pacer has not yet fully recovered from the back injury and will miss out on the tournament, according to the ICC. The Aussies have also not included Matthew Short in the squad.
Ben Dwarshuis and Matthew Renshaw have been included in Australia`s squad.
Speaking about Dwarshuis, Australian selector Tony Dodemaide said that his ability to swing the ball with a good pace will be well-suited to the conditions.
“With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting. We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad,” he said.
“Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat. With the top order settled and spin heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle order support, with Tim David completing his return to play program in the early phase of the tournament,” added the selector.
Australia has been placed in Group B of the T20 World Cup 2026 along with teams such as Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.
The global showpiece is scheduled to kick off from February 7 and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Australia will begin its campaign by playing a clash against Ireland on February 11 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
Australia`s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
(With ANI Inputs)
