Pat Cummins ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026
His back injury will need more time to recover
Mitchell Marsh set to captain Australian in Cummins' absence
Selectors name talented left-arm quick as his replacement
Australian all-format captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the upcoming 20-team ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka next month. Cummins, who missed the best parts of the 2025-26 home Ashes series, could be set for another long spell off the field.
In Pat Cummins' absence, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will be leading the Australian side, which has also pulled opening batter Matt Short away from the 15-man squad.
The ICC T20 World Cup starts from February 7 onwards with the Kangaroos currently preparing for the showpiece event in a 3-match T20I series in Pakistan.
Australia lost the 1st T20I by 22 runs and the 2nd match is scheduled to take place today in Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
Australian Selector Confident About Ben Dwarshuis' Impact
Australian selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Pat Cummins still needs a bit more time to attain full fitness and that the recovery process from his back injury is a lengthy process. That means the right-arm fast bowler will at least be out for the next 2 months.
Dodemaide also expressed his confidence on Cummins' replacement - Ben Dwarshuis, who is a talented left-arm quick, capable of swinging the ball both ways.
"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 said in a statement.
The Aussies will begin their campaign against Ireland on February 11 before taking on the likes of Zimbabwe (13 Feb), Sri Lanka (16 Feb) and Oman (20 Feb).
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Australia's Updated Squad
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, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa.
