Australia Announces T20 World Cup 2026 Team, Selects Three Players Despite Injuries
Cooper Connolly has been added to the squad to strengthen the spin bowling options while there is no back=up wicketkeeper in the Aussie squad
Jan 02, 2025: Australia have announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Mitchell Marsh will lead the team in the tournament.
Three injured players — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Tim David — have been selected in the squad. Their place in the team will depend on fitness clearance before the tournament.
Pat Cummins will undergo a scan at the end of January 2026 to check his back injury. He played only one Test match in the Ashes series. Josh Hazlewood missed the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles injuries and is still in recovery. Meanwhile, Tim David suffered an injury during the Big Bash League, and Australia are hoping he will be fit in time for the World Cup.
Left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis has been left out of the squad despite strong performances against the West Indies and South Africa last year. His chances were affected as he missed the New Zealand and India series due to injury.
Meanwhile, Cooper Connolly has been added to the squad to strengthen the spin bowling options. If Cummins or Hazlewood fail to recover in time, Dwarshuis could be the first player to get a call-up.
“The T20 team has done well in recent years. This helped the selectors pick a balanced squad for different conditions in India and Sri Lanka. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Tim David are recovering well, and we are confident they will be fit for the World Cup. This is a preliminary squad, and changes can be made before the support period if needed,” national selector George Bailey said.
No Backup Wicketkeeper in the Australia Squad
Josh Inglis is the only specialist wicketkeeper in Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. The selectors did not include Alex Carey or Josh Philippe, even though both are wicketkeepers. If there is a last-minute injury, Glenn Maxwell is likely to take up the wicketkeeping role.
Australia T20 World Cup 2026 Squad
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
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