Cummins ruled out of World Cup due to injury, Australia announce squad under Marshs leadership

Australia have suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as star pacer and regular captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The fast bowler has not fully recovered from a back injury and will miss the World Cup.

In the 15-member squad announced for the World Cup, Mitchell Marsh has been appointed captain in Cummins’ absence. Matthew Short has also been left out of the squad.

However, Ben Dwarshuis and Matthew Renshaw have been included in the team. Explaining Dwarshuis’ inclusion, Australian selector Tony Dodemaide said the left-arm pacer has come in as a ready replacement for Cummins. He added that Dwarshuis’ ability to swing the ball at good pace, along with effective variations, strong fielding and late-order hitting, makes him well suited to the expected conditions.

Speaking about Matthew Renshaw, Dodemaide said the batter has shown consistent performances across formats in recent times for Australia, Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat. With spin-friendly wickets expected during the group stage in Sri Lanka, Renshaw has been picked to provide extra support in the middle order. Meanwhile, Tim David is set to complete his return-to-play program in the early phase of the tournament.

Australia have been placed in Group B of the T20 World Cup, alongside Sri Lanka, Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe.

The World Cup will get underway on February 7, with India and Sri Lanka serving as co-hosts. Australia will begin their campaign on February 11, facing Ireland at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), 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.