Pat Cummins will not travel to Sri Lanka for this year’s T20 World Cup, the fast bowler still short of full fitness after a lengthy battle with a stress injury in his lower back. Left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis comes into the final 15-man squad, while all-rounder Matt Renshaw replaces the out-of-form Matthew Short. Steven Smith, named in several early media projections, again misses out.
Australia’s selectors had hoped Cummins could be eased through the group stage while he continued his rehabilitation. The 32-year-old has not bowled in a competitive match since the Adelaide Ashes Test in mid-December – itself his only appearance since July. Fresh scans taken in January were encouraging, but medical staff advised he “needs more time” before returning to the rigours of tournament play. He is expected to be available for the IPL in April.
Dwarshuis was widely regarded as unlucky to miss the original provisional squad and now offers variety as the only specialist left-arm pacer. His knack for swinging the new ball and mixing cutters at the death has been particularly effective on slow sub-continental pitches.
Short’s omission is less about numbers than balance. With Mitch Marsh entrenched at the top and Glenn Maxwell a floating option, selectors wanted another left-hand bat capable of working spin in the middle overs. Renshaw fitted the brief after several productive Big Bash seasons and a composed ODI debut against India last November.
Selector Tony Dodemaide explained the switches on Wednesday morning. “With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late order hitting,” he said. “We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.”
On Renshaw, Dodemaide added: “Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat. With the top order settled and spin-heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle order support, with Tim David completing his return to play program in the early phase of the tournament. As a left-hander, he also offers a point of difference to the middle order batting.”
The final squad therefore leans into flexibility: eight bowling options, three left-hand batters and several players comfortable in multiple positions. There is, however, little spare pace should injuries strike again – Xavier Bartlett and Cameron Green will shoulder plenty of new-ball responsibility behind Josh Hazlewood.
Australia open their campaign on 3 May against Afghanistan in Kandy, the first of three group matches scheduled on spin-friendly surfaces. Marsh’s men will hope Cummins’ absence is a footnote rather than the defining storyline.
Australia’s 15 for the 2026 T20 World Cup
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
