Josh Hazlewood ruled out, leaves Australia to suffer at T20 World Cup 2026

The Australia National Cricket Team suffered a massive setback just hours before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, as their premier fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been officially ruled out of the prestigious tournament.

Josh Hazlewood ruled out just before the T20 World Cup 2026

Josh Hazlewood has been out of action since November 12, when he injured his hamstring while playing in the Sheffield Shield. Since then, he has not played a single match. Despite the injury, the senior pacer travelled with the Australian squad to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup 2026.

The plan was to slowly build his fitness and make him available later in the tournament, possibly after the group matches. However, only five days before Australia’s first game against Ireland in Colombo on February 12, the situation changed.

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The Australian selector Tony Dodemaide has confirmed that Hazlewood is still not fit and will not recover in time to take part in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Australian to name a replacement later

Australian selector Tony Dodemaide said in an official statement, “We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super Eights stage, but the latest indications are he is still some time away. Trying to accelerate his program will carry too much of a risk.

We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games, so we will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.”

This setback has made Australia’s campaign even more difficult, as Pat Cummins is already out of the tournament due to fitness concerns. With both Cummins and Hazlewood unavailable, Australia is entering the T20 World Cup with very limited fast-bowling options.

Presently, Xavier Bartlett, who is known for his swing, and the left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis are the only two fully fit frontline fast bowlers in the squad. Sean Abbott is travelling with the team as a reserve player and could be added to the main squad as Hazlewood’s replacement.

To be continued…