Cricket Australia announced their final 15 for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The marquee event is all set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will begin on February 17. It is worth noting that the Aussies had already announced their provisional squad for the tournament.
However, with the final 15 announced, one of the biggest developments has been that ace pacer Pat Cummins will not be participating in the World Cup due to his back injury. He has been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis in the squad.
Furthermore, Matt Short, who was in the provisional squad, has been dropped, and Matt Renshaw has been picked in his place. Veteran batter Steve Smith was unable to find a place in the squad.
Australia selector Tony Dodemaide gave his take on Cummins’ unavailability
With the final squad announced, Cricket Australia selector Tony Dodemaide came forward and talked about the absence of the star pacer in the World Cup. He revealed that Cummins needs more time to recover from his injury, and how Dwarshuis is the ideal replacement.
“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. 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,” Dodemaide was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“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 added.
Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Mitchell Marsh (capt), 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
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