T20 World Cup 2021 champions Australia have dealt another severe blow. Star pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 just five days before Australia’s opening fixture against Ireland. His withdrawal comes shortly after Pat Cummins was also sidelined, leaving Australia without two of their most experienced quicks heading into the global event.
It was believed that Hazlewood would likely miss the group-stage matches and be available for selection at the back end of the tournament. However, all the planning has gone down the drain for Australia, who will miss their most well-rounded pacer in the tournament. Last year, Hazlewood had one of the best averages (17.2) in T20 cricket with 34 wickets in 19 innings. He was one of the main reasons why RCB won their maiden IPL title in 2025. But Australia can’t reap Hazlewood’s rewards.
“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage but the latest indications are he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk,” selector Tony Dodemaide said. “We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games, so we will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.”
Hazlewood setback forces Australia rethink plans
Hazlewood picked up a hamstring strain while bowling for New South Wales in the final Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes. During his recovery, he developed Achilles issues, which ruled him out of the Ashes series and severely disrupted his preparation. Although he said in January that his World Cup build-up was on track, he did not travel with the squad to Colombo earlier this week and continued rehabilitation in Sydney.
Sean Abbott, who has travelled as a reserve, remains an option if Australia decide to add a replacement later. There are also other fitness concerns, with Adam Zampa cleared for the opener after groin tightness, while Nathan Ellis and Tim David are recovering from hamstring injuries. However, all three players are likely to be fit by Australia’s first game on February 11.
Australia’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (ruled out), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa Travelling Reserve: Sean Abbott
Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Teams | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 11 | Australia vs Ireland | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| February 13 | Australia vs Zimbabwe | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 11:00 AM |
| February 16 | Australia vs Sri Lanka | Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy | 7:00 PM |
| February 20 | Australia vs Oman | Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy | 7:00 PM |
