Australia Revamp T20 World Cup 2026 Squad as Pat Cummins Ruled Out, Dwarshuis and Renshaw Added

Australia has reshaped its T20 World Cup 2026 plans after confirming that captain Pat Cummins ruled out through injury, forcing a late change to their final 15-man squad. Left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis has been drafted in as Cummins’ replacement, while Matt Renshaw earns a call-up and Steven Smith misses out despite a strong run in domestic T20 cricket.

Cummins, who has been managing a lumbar back issue, has not returned to competitive action since the Adelaide Test during the Ashes window. Selectors had initially hoped he could recover in time to feature in the early phase of the tournament, but medical advice ruled that out. Recent scans showed progress, yet team management decided against risking their premier fast bowler before full recovery.

Dwarshuis’ inclusion gives Australia a left-arm pace option and added depth at the back end with the bat. 

Squad Reshuffle Puts Focus On Balance And Spin Readiness

Australia has also moved away from Matthew Short, turning instead to Matt Renshaw to strengthen their middle-order flexibility. Renshaw’s ability to bat across multiple positions and handle spin played a key role in the decision, especially with slow surfaces expected during the group stage. He recently made his T20I debut and has built a solid white-ball record across domestic competitions and the BBL.

Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis have all been cleared after injury setbacks. Hazlewood returns from hamstring and Achilles concerns, while David and Ellis have recovered from separate hamstring issues that interrupted their recent campaigns.

With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head locked in at the top, and Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green available as alternate opening options, selectors opted for role coverage over pure batting form.

Australia Squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa