Injury sidelines Cummins, Smith omitted as Australia confirm T20 World Cup squad

A back injury has ruled Pat Cummins out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Ben Dwarshuis has received a late call-up as his replacement.

Matt Short, named in the initial squad, has been omitted. Matthew Renshaw takes his place, with selectors opting to bolster the middle order.

Steve Smith is another notable omission from the final 15-player squad. Calls for his inclusion grew following a stellar BBL campaign, where he scored 299 runs in six innings at an average of 59.80 and a strike rate of 167.97.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup: 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

Selector Tony Dodemaide said, "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."

On Renshaw's inclusion, Dodemaide added, "Matt has impressed in all formats of late. 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. As a left-hander, he also offers a point of difference."

Australia are currently in Pakistan playing a three-match T20I series as preparation. Placed in Group B, their World Cup schedule is:

• February 11: vs Ireland in Colombo
• February 13: vs Zimbabwe in Colombo
• February 16: vs Sri Lanka in Pallekele
• February 20: vs Oman in Pallekele