Bad news for Australia, star pacer ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026 due to…

New Delhi: Australia suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 as star pacer Pat Cummins ruled out of the tournament due to back injury. The star all-rounder has failed to recover from back problem and will miss the tournament, which is scheduled to start on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

Ben Dwarshuis and Matthew Renshaw has been picked in the squad

Australia also left out top-order batter Matthew Short while finalising their 15-member squad. Left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis and batter Matthew Renshaw has been named as their replacement in squad.

“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,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.

“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.”

“Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat.”

“With the top order settled and spin heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle order support, with Tim David completing his return to play program in the early phase of the tournament. “As a left hander, he (Renshaw) also offers a point of difference to the middle order batting.”

Australia are placed in Group B of the 2026 T20 World Cup, along with Ireland, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Oman. They are set to play their World Cup opener against Ireland on February 11 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchell Marsh (c), 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