Josh Hazlewood ruled out of T20 World Cup

Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, to be held in Sri Lanka and India, after running out of time to regain full fitness.

Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said the management had been hopeful of Hazlewood's return by the Super 8 stage. "We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage but the latest indications he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk."

Australia will not name a replacement immediately, with selectors opting to reassess based on conditions and requirements as the tournament progresses.

Hazlewood had been expected to arrive late in Sri Lanka, continuing his recovery from an Achilles injury. He last played in the ODI and T20I series against India in October 2025.

The news comes as another setback for Australia, who are also without Pat Cummins for the tournament. Cummins has been recovering from a back injury.

There was positive news on the fitness front for Nathan Ellis and Tim David, who are both on track to be available for the group stage, while Adam Zampa is expected to be available for the opening match.

Australia's preparation suffered a minor setback after their practice match against the Netherlands was abandoned, but the team still has a six-day window to prepare before their first pool fixture against Ireland.

T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh remained upbeat about the pace attack despite the absence of big names.

"One of the great things about Pat and Josh especially, all being three-format players, is that we've been able to build a lot of depth within our squad and the guys that have come in have played a lot of cricket for our group," Marsh said. "So we've got a lot of confidence in them to go out there and do the job when required."

"Over the last 18 months, I feel we've been one of the most consistent sides in the world. We come to this World Cup really confident, knowing that conditions will be different at times, but we've got guys that have experienced that all over the world. So we look forward to the challenge," added Marsh.