Josh Hazlewood ruled out of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign

Australia’s pace options for the T20 World Cup 2026 were reduced even further with senior fast bowler Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a series of fitness setbacks.

The decision follows months of uncertainty around Hazlewood’s condition and leaves Australia without two of their most experienced quicks, after Pat Cummins was also sidelined earlier with injury.

Hazlewood’s woes began with a hamstring strain suffered in the final Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes.

Attempts to return to full training were later complicated by Achilles soreness, preventing him from building the workload required for international competition.

Although he was included in the original Australian T20 World Cup squad, medical assessments in recent weeks indicated he would not be able to meet the demands of the tournament.

The 35-year-old Hazlewood has not played since November and remained in Sydney while the rest of the squad assembled in Sri Lanka.

With 79 wickets in T20I cricket, Hazlewood is the second-highest wicket-taker in the format for Australia.

Of these, 11 came at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, where he was instrumental in helping the Australian cricket team become world champions in the shortest format for the first time.

“We were hopeful Josh would be ready by the Super Eights, but the latest medical advice suggests he still needs more time,” Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said. “Pushing him now would carry unnecessary risk.”

Selectors have opted against naming an immediate replacement, preferring to reassess the squad as the tournament unfolds.

“We feel we have enough depth for the early matches and will review our options if circumstances change,” Dodemaide added.

Hazlewood’s and Cummins’ absence, along with Mitchell Starc’s retirement from T20 internationals, marks a rare shift in Australia’s pace attack

It will be the first men’s World Cup since 2011 in which none of the ‘Big Three’ fast bowlers are involved.

The situation places additional responsibility on captain Mitch Marsh, with Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis currently the only frontline quicks fully fit. Sean Abbott remains on standby as a travelling reserve.

There was some encouragement for Australia’s medical staff, with Nathan Ellis and Tim David nearing full fitness after minor hamstring complaints.

Spinner Adam Zampa is also expected to be available for the opening match in Colombo after experiencing a tightness in his groin during the T20I series against Pakistan.

Australia’s build-up to the tournament was also disrupted when their warm-up fixture against the Netherlands on Thursday was washed out. They will play their group-stage matches in Sri Lanka and open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Ireland on February 11.

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