Australia Drop Cummins Through Injury As T20 World Cup Squad Takes Shape

Australia have confirmed that Pat Cummins will miss the upcoming T20 World Cup after Cricket Australia ruled him out due to an ongoing back problem. The selectors finalised the 15-player squad by making two changes to the earlier provisional list ahead of the tournament, which begins on February 7.

The selectors had included Pat Cummins in the initial squad alongside Josh Hazlewood and Tim David, subject to medical clearance. However, the fast bowler has not fully recovered from a lumbar stress injury sustained in July and has remained sidelined since his only appearance in the Ashes Test at Adelaide.

As a result, he will miss the tournament, which Sri Lanka and India will host.

Selectors also excluded top-order batter Matthew Short from the final squad. At the same time, Josh Hazlewood returned to the team after recovering from hamstring and Achilles injuries that kept him out of the entire Ashes series. Big-hitting batter Tim David also regained his place after missing the tour of Pakistan.

Mitchell Marsh will lead Australia at the World Cup, with the selectors opting for a squad that places strong emphasis on spin. Adam Zampa anchors the spin attack, with support from Matt Kuhnemann, Cooper Connolly and all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw. Mitchell Owen missed out on selection in the final 15.

Pace Options and Tournament Draw

Despite losing Cummins, Australia retain a solid fast-bowling line-up. Hazlewood will spearhead the pace attack, backed by Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, who earned selection as Cummins’s replacement.

Australia have been drawn in Group B along with Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. They will play all their group matches in Sri Lanka, starting their campaign against Ireland on February 11 in Colombo.

The Australian side is currently competing in a three-match T20I series against Pakistan. Mitchell Marsh’s team went down by 22 runs in the opening match on Thursday.

Australia’s updated squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis.

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