Will Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood play 2026 T20 World Cup?
What's the story
Australia's provisional squad for the impending ICC Men's T20 World Cup could see the return of experienced pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Despite their injury concerns, head coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed that the final decision on their participation will be taken after further assessments in the coming weeks. Both Cummins and Hazlewood are currently sitting out due to their respective injuries.
Injury update
Cummins's back injury and future scans
Cummins missed the first two Ashes Tests due to a lumbar stress reaction. Despite returning for the third match in Adelaide, he was ruled out of the remaining series as a precaution. Notably, the regular Australian Test skipper will undergo another scan on his back in four weeks. The results will determine his availability for the T20 World Cup, starting February 7. "Pat will have a scan, I think, in another four weeks," McDonald said.
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What about Hazlewood?
Hazlewood has missed the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles injuries. However, he is likely to make a comeback in time for the T20 World Cup. "Josh is returning to bowl. He looks as though he should be right in terms of possible timeframes," McDonald said.
Stats
A look at their stats
Both Cummins and Hazlewood have been pivotal to Australia's success across formats. The 2024 T20 World Cup saw Cummins become the first bowler to take back-to-back hat-tricks in T20I cricket. Coming to his T20I numbers, he boasts 66 scalps across 57 T20Is at an economy of 7.44. Hazlewood, known for his immaculate line and length, has taken 79 wickets from 60 T20Is at 21.26.
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Australia's first match on February 11
While the T20 World Cup starts on February 7, Australia will play their first match four days later. They will face Ireland and Zimbabwe in their first two games. Australia's next opponents are Sri Lanka (February 16).