The Australian team has suffered a major setback ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. One of the Kangaroo team’s key bowlers, Josh Hazlewood, has been ruled out of the entire tournament. Cricket Australia announced that Hazlewood has not recovered from a hamstring injury, which is why he has been withdrawn.
Cricket Australia selector Todd Dodemaide said, “We were hoping that Hazlewood would be fit by the Super Eight stage, but according to the latest information, he will need more time. Accelerating his rehabilitation program would be too risky. We will not be naming a replacement player at this time. We believe our squad is fully prepared for the initial matches.”
Hazlewood has not played a match since suffering a hamstring injury during the Sheffield Shield on November 12. Despite this, he was included in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. Australian cricket hoped he would be fit by the Super Eight stage, but he will require more time to recover.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026: Australia Squad, Time & Match Date
Australian squad for the T20 World Cup:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Traveling Reserve – Sean Abbott.
