Australia pacer Pat Cummins ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026; replacement announced

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Australias preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have suffered a significant setback, with skipper and premier fast bowler Pat Cummins ruled out of the marquee event due to injury. Cricket Australia confirmed that Cummins has failed to recover fully from a persistent back issue and will miss the tournament, which begins on February 7 across India and Sri Lanka.

The absence of Cummins deprives Australia of a proven match-winner and leader, especially in high-pressure global events, forcing selectors to rethink their balance ahead of the multi-team competition.

Another major talking point from Australia’s final 15-member squad announcement was the omission of Steve Smith. Calls for Smith’s inclusion had grown louder following an exceptional Big Bash League campaign, where the former captain amassed 299 runs in just six innings. He averaged 59.80 and struck at an impressive 167.97, underlining his continued value in the shortest format.

Despite that rich vein of form, selectors opted to look beyond Smith, signalling a clear preference for players offering flexibility across roles and conditions rather than recent domestic dominance alone.

Top-order batter Matthew Short was another notable exclusion as Australia finalised their World Cup combination. Short’s absence, coupled with Smith’s omission, highlighted the selectors’ focus on squad balance rather than individual statistics.

In response to these changes, left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis and versatile batter Matthew Renshaw were named as replacements, adding depth to both bowling and batting departments.

Selector Tony Dodemaide explained that Dwarshuis was a natural replacement for Cummins, given the team’s needs and the expected conditions during the tournament.

“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,” Dodemaide said in his official statement.

“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.”

Dwarshuis’ skill set provides Australia with variety in their pace attack, particularly useful on slower surfaces anticipated in parts of the tournament.

Dodemaide also outlined the rationale behind Renshaw’s selection, pointing to his adaptability across formats and roles.

“Matt has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white-ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat,” he said.

“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. As a left-hander, he also offers a point of difference to the middle-order batting.”

Placed in Group B of the tournament, Australia will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Ireland on February 11 in Colombo.

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.