Mark Waugh Criticizes Australian Selectors Over Steve Smith Treatment in T20 World Cup 2026

Former Australian captain Mark Waugh criticized the selectors for overlooking Steve Smith during the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He believes the decision to leave Smith out of the squad has backfired badly, leaving Australia with an embarrassing early exit from the mega event.

While speaking to the media, he said Australia’s entire T20 World Cup campaign was doomed when the selectors announced the tournament squad, leaving out many notable names.

“I think that the whole campaign was doomed from the get-go with selection issues and injuries. I think preparation hasn’t been great. It’s all unfolded probably the way I thought it would, even though we’re in a pretty weak group,” said former Australian captain, Mark Waugh.

He then said that leaving out Steve Smith for the mega event was the most ‘baffling’ decision he will remember for years. As per Waugh, Smith should have been in the squad because his previous BBL performances strongly advocated for his selection.

“I know you can’t please everybody, and sometimes there are tough calls that can go either way, but to me, the non-selection of Steve Smith in the squad originally is the most baffling non-selection I can remember for ages. I mean, here you’ve got a guy who has looked a class above everybody in the BBL.” said Mark Waugh.

He then slammed the team management for mishandling Steve Smith throughout the campaign. Waugh said that Smith is an outstanding player against spin, yet the team didn’t give him the opportunity to play in a single game.

“He’s an outstanding fieldsman. He’s a great player of spin. He should have been first picked, and he wasn’t picked in the squad, then he wasn’t even picked as a replacement, and then they’ve got him over there, and they still haven’t played him,” said Mark Waugh.