Australia have suffered a major setback ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with fast bowler Pat Cummins ruled out of the entire tournament due to injury.
Cummins has not fully recovered from a longstanding back problem, and the Australian medical team has advised him to undergo rest and rehabilitation, forcing his withdrawal from the competition.
Cummins had also missed the ongoing T20 series against Pakistan due to the same injury. He was named in the initial squad with the expectation that he would regain fitness by February 7, but medical assessments later ruled him unavailable for the tournament.
Cricket Australia has named Ben Dwarshuis as Cummins’ replacement in the squad. Dwarshuis is a left-arm fast bowler and can contribute with the bat in the lower order. Matthew Renshaw has also been included in the squad. Renshaw recently made his T20 debut against Pakistan and has been selected in place of opening batter Matthew Short.
Cummins’ absence reduces Australia’s pace-bowling resources and removes an experienced option for the tournament.
