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Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood ruled out after selection in Australia's T20 World Cup squad

Umesh Sharma

Pat Cummins (L) and Josh Hazlewood (R) (Source: AFP)Pat Cummins (L) and Josh Hazlewood (R) (Source: AFP)

Australia’s plans for the T20 World Cup 2026 seem to be in jeopardy after the veteran pacers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, were ruled out. Cricket Australia’s selection chair, George Bailey, confirmed their exclusion ahead of the marquee international tournament. 

Notably, the senior pace duo was earlier named in Australia’s provisional squad for the tournament, but they are still recovering from their respective injuries. This exclusion also translates into the fact that Cummins and Hazlewood will not be touring with the Aussie side for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. 

"I don't think they'll be available..." - Selection chair George Bailey on Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood

George Bailey’s interaction with the media made it quite clear that there is still uncertainty about Cummins’ participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. However, he looked quite hopeful for their comeback after announcing their absence from the Pakistan T20Is. 

“I don't think they'll be available for the Pakistan series, but I think that both should be online (for the World Cup),” said Bailey to the media on Saturday. 

“Patty might be a bit later. That might be a similar situation to Travis Head in the 50-over World Cup, where there's an entry point at some point. Hopefully, can manage and carry him in the squad until that point,” he added later while confirming Cummins’ absence from the initial half of the prestigious cricket biennial.  

Furthermore, the chief selector also cleared the air around Hazlewood’s availability for Australia in the first half of the tournament. 

“I think ‘Hoff’ (Hazlewood) should be right from the start. You might get pushed in a corner and you might need to make an adjustment to the squad,” he said. 

“And we were close to that having to be the case with Trav as well,” Bailey added later while referring to Travis Head’s injury case in the ODI World Cup 2023. 

Injury woes continue to hit Australia after Ashes 2025-26 win

Australia's injury concerns don't seem to end as their worries continue even after their win in the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. Before the start of the series, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and were ruled out of the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane owing to their injuries, followed by Cummins being part of Aussie side in the third Test Adelaide. 

But what followed next deepened the concerns for Australia as both Cummins and Hazlewood were ruled out for the entire Ashes 2025-26. Later, the selectors picked both of them in the T20I squad despite them still recovering from their respective injuries. 

Currently, the hosts are leading the current Ashes edition by a 3-1 margin, including three consecutive wins in the first three Tests, followed by a four-wicket defeat in the fourth Test. Now, they will be eyeing finishing the series with a last laugh, winning the last and fifth Test in Sydney, starting on Sunday.