Pat Cummins Ruled Out as Australia Names Final Squad for T20 World Cup 2026

January 31, 2026: Cricket Australia has announced the final 15 players for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will begin on February 17. Australia had earlier announced a provisional squad for the event.

With the final squad now confirmed, the biggest update is that fast bowler Pat Cummins will miss the World Cup due to a back injury. He has been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis in the team.

In another change, Matt Short, who was part of the provisional squad, has been dropped. Matt Renshaw has been included in his place. Veteran batter Steve Smith has not been selected in the final squad.

Tony Dodemaide on Pat Cummins’ Absence

After announcing the final squad, Cricket Australia selector Tony Dodemaide spoke about Pat Cummins missing the T20 World Cup 2026. He said Cummins needs more time to recover from his back injury and explained why Ben Dwarshuis was chosen as his replacement.

Dodemaide said that Dwarshuis is a good option because he is a left-arm fast bowler. He also praised his fielding and ability to score runs in the lower order. He added that Dwarshuis can swing the ball at good pace and use smart variations, which will suit the expected conditions.

Matt Renshaw Included in Final Squad

Dodemaide also spoke about Matt Renshaw’s selection in the squad. He said Renshaw has performed well in all formats recently. He highlighted Renshaw’s ability to play different roles in white-ball cricket for Australia, Queensland Bulls, and Brisbane Heat.

Australia Squad for 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, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa