Josh Hazlewood Ruled Out Of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 Squad

Australia were forced to head into the T20 World Cup without sensational bowler after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out due to injury.

Australia suffered a major setback ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as senior fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. The development meant Australia would compete in a World Cup without any of their famed ‘Big Three’ pacers for the first time since 2011.

Hazlewood had not played since injuring his hamstring during the Sheffield Shield on November 12. Despite this, he was initially named in Australia’s World Cup squad, even as he remained in Sydney while the rest of the team assembled in Sri Lanka.

However, with just five days remaining before Australia’s opening match against Ireland in Colombo, national selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Hazlewood’s recovery timeline had changed.

“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super Eights stage but the latest indications (are) he is still some time away,” Dodemaide said. “Trying to accelerate his program will carry too much of a risk.

“We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.”

Australia In Deep Trouble After Hazlewood Exit

Hazlewood joined Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins on the injury list, further weakening Australia’s pace resources. With Mitchell Starc having retired from T20 Internationals last year, Australia were left without any of their long-standing fast-bowling trio at the global event.

As things stood, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis were the only fully fit frontline fast bowlers available. Sean Abbott travelled with the squad as a reserve and could be added later if required.

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Nathan Ellis, recovering from a hamstring injury, was progressing well but remained doubtful for the tournament opener on February 11. Cricket Australia confirmed that Ellis and batter Tim David were “on track to be available for the group stage,” while Adam Zampa was declared fit to face Ireland.

With conditions expected to suit spin early in the tournament, Australia were likely to rely heavily on their slow-bowling options. Zampa, Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly were the primary spin choices, supported by all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green.