Australia’s preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have taken a knock, with chief selector George Bailey stating that renowned speed bowler Pat Cummins is unlikely to play in the premier event’s opening games owing to persisting injury concerns.
Pat Cummins, who has been dealing with a lumbar bone stress injury, first suffered the setback before of the 2025-26 Ashes series.
He missed four of the five Tests due to a back ailment. Despite returning to the starting XI in Adelaide for the third Test and impressing with a six-wicket haul, the New South Wales cricketer declared himself out for the duration of the Ashes.
With Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign beginning in India and Sri Lanka, Bailey stated that Cummins is still working his way back to full health and is unlikely to be available for the tournament’s first few matches. The former Australian captain went on to clarify that the selectors want to give Cummins as much time as possible to rehabilitate so that he doesn’t get injured again.
“He’ll probably join that World Cup group a little bit later in the tournament, around game three or four. If we can, absolutely, that’s the plan. Clearly, if something moves and we’re forced to cover that, we will, but, yes, hopefully all things being equal, that’ll be how that one plays out” Bailey was quoted as saying.
Seniors rested for Pakistan T20Is
Cummins isn’t just set to miss the opening World Cup matches. He has also been left out of Australia’s three-match T20I series against Pakistan, scheduled from January 29 to February 1, as part of workload management and rehabilitation planning. With the multinational tournament less than three weeks away, Cricket Australia has decided to rest a few of its senior players as a precautionary measure.
Apart from Pat Cummins, several star players, including Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis, have not been included in the squad for the Pakistan tour. The selection committee took the decision on Monday to give the players the needed rest and keep the players fresh and ready for the global event.
Australia squad for Pakistan T20Is: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
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