T20 World Cup: Pat Cummins to miss Australia's opening matches
What's the story
Star pacer Pat Cummins is set to miss Australia's first two matches of the impending 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Australian chief selector George Bailey confirmed the same on January 19. The veteran pacer is still recovering from a lumbar bone stress injury he sustained before the 2025-26 Ashes series. Bailey said Cummins is likely to join the squad after Australia's second or third game in the tournament.
Injury impact
Cummins's injury kept him out of Ashes series
Cummins's lumbar bone stress injury had kept him out of four Tests in the 2025-26 Ashes series. He did make a comeback in the third Test, the Boxing Day affair at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), after rehabilitation. He took six wickets in the match. However, Cummins was ruled out of the remaining two fixtures due to his back issue.
Series absence
Cummins to miss T20I series against Pakistan
Along with the World Cup matches, Cummins will also miss the three-match T20I series against Pakistan from January 29 to February 1. After this series, Australia will head to Sri Lanka for their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in Colombo on February 11. Other than Cummins, the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis have also been rested for the Pakistan series.
Rest strategy
Workload management for Maxwell and Ellis
Bailey hinted that Maxwell and Ellis are being rested as part of a workload management strategy. The duo is currently playing in this week's Big Bash League (BBL) BBL finals. "You call it rest, we probably call it preparation. Get the best preparation they can to make sure that when they do join that World Cup squad, they're ready to perform," Bailey said.