Pat Cummins ruled out of T20 WC; Australia name replacement
What's the story
Star Australian pacer Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup due to a persistent back injury. His place in the final 15-man squad has been taken by Ben Dwarshuis. Meanwhile, all-rounder Matthew Short has also been dropped from the team and replaced by Matt Renshaw on form. Notably, there is no place for Steven Smith in this final squad either.
Injury timeline
Cummins still recovering from back injury
Cummins was initially included in Australia's provisional squad with hopes of recovering from his back injury during the early rounds. He last played in mid-December against England, after which he was sidelined for rehabilitation. His latest scans in January were positive but Cricket Australia said Cummins "needs more time" to recover fully. Reports suggest he could be fit by IPL season.
Squad changes
Dwarshuis and Renshaw included in final squad
Dwarshuis has been included in the squad as a left-arm-pace option. He was initially left out of the provisional 15-man squad but now comes in as a replacement for Cummins. Renshaw's inclusion comes after his impressive domestic and BBL performances, despite having made his T20I debut only recently against Pakistan. The southpaw scored 324 runs for Brisbane Heat in BBL 2025-26 while striking at 153.55.
Stats
Cummins owns two T20I hat-tricks
The 2024 T20 World Cup saw Cummins become the first bowler to take back-to-back hat-tricks in T20I cricket. He accomplished the milestone against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Coming to his T20I numbers, he boasts 66 scalps across 57 T20Is at an economy of 7.44. Meanwhile, the upcoming T20 WC will be played from February 7 to March 8. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the event.
Final lineup
Australia's final 15-man squad for T20 World Cup
Squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), 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, and Adam Zampa. The team will be looking to make a mark in the tournament despite some key absences.