Glenn McGrath, never one for melodrama, has still sounded the alarm after Australia’s early exit from the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup. With Mitchell Starc retired from the format and both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood injured, the side fell at the first hurdle, and McGrath suspects the conveyor belt of quicks is stalling.
“You look at the quicks that the Australian team used against England,” McGrath said at the MRF Pace foundation ground in Chennai. “Scotty Boland, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson – they’ve been around the game a long time, so you’re not replacing older guys with younger guys. So the next generation is going to be interesting.”
Key numbers are stark. Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have taken more than 370 T20I wickets between them, while the three stand-ins McGrath mentioned had just 40 at the start of the tournament. That gulf in experience was exposed as Australia lost two of their three group matches and went home before the knock-outs for the first time since 2014.
Nathan Ellis, accurate more than explosive, is the only bowler under 30 to have played at least 15 T20Is for Australia over the past two years. “We’ve seen Ellis and Beardman. They’ve had a little bit of experience in the white-ball format,” McGrath said. “But to replace Cummins, Starc, who carried the Australian attack against England and Hazlewood…those three have been around for a while. Scotty Boland has done a great job, but I think Australia’s biggest challenge moving forward is how the next generation are going to take over from this one. We saw in the T20 format of the World Cup, it didn’t go too well. But we’ll see what the future holds.”
Mahli Beardman, 21, showed pace and bounce on debut in Pakistan in January, while Jack Edwards’ seam-bowling all-round skills give selectors a handy option. Yet neither has been exposed consistently to top-tier international batting. McGrath believes mixing with overseas talent in franchise leagues is critical.
“I think playing in the IPL, playing alongside international players from around the world helps,” McGrath said. “Performing in Big Bash helps as well. Cooper Connolly had a pretty good Big Bash, didn’t he? The more they play, they have a bit of success, that will help. But it’s also a confidence thing.”
Australia’s brains trust selected only three specialist seamers for the World Cup, backing batting strength and part-time bowlers to plug the gaps. In hindsight, that call felt optimistic once Cummins and Hazlewood were ruled out. Steve Smith, fresh from reinventing himself in T20 cricket, carried drinks, while Matt Renshaw, sharp for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, was left out of the decisive game against Sri Lanka.
“I thought they [Australia] might make the final eight, but to be honest I didn’t feel they would progress much further,” McGrath said. “The fact that they didn’t even make the final eight is disappointing. I think you look at no Cummins, no Hazlewood, no Starc, big gaps. Steve Smith who had been in form in Big Bash was there, [but] not selected. Matt Renshaw, 66 [65 against Zimbabwe] I think the game before, [but] not selected [against Sri Lanka].”
Selectors have four years to plot a turnaround before the 2028 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. A likely plan involves giving fringe quicks longer BBL runs, then fast-tracking the best to the IPL or county cricket. Workload management has also moved up the agenda: Cameron Green, for instance, played 92 days of cricket last year across formats and leagues.
McGrath, who took 563 Test wickets through relentless lines and the odd yorker, knows production is seldom linear. Australia’s academy system remains robust, and teenage speedster Lance Morris, returning from a side strain, has already touched 150kph in domestic cricket. But the former spearhead insists the pathway needs sharpening rather than celebrating past glories.
Quietly, Australia’s batting looks healthier than in many recent white-ball cycles: Travis Head has matured into a destructive opener, while Tim David’s finishing power brought rare bright moments in the failed World Cup campaign. Yet without a clutch of incisive new-ball bowlers, those runs may continue to feel short.
There is, then, a window—and a warning—from McGrath. Depth, not sentiment, decides tournaments. Australia still produce fast bowlers; the task now is to shepherd them from Sheffield Shield and BBL promise to international poise before the old firm finally bows out. A familiar challenge, perhaps, but one McGrath believes can no longer wait.
