Hazlewood Ruled Out Ahead of World Cup Opener
Tekkabuzz999 Australia has suffered a major setback ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with paceman Josh Hazlewood ruled out just five days before the opening match against Ireland on February 11. National selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Hazlewood is still some time away from full match fitness, and accelerating his recovery would carry too much risk.
No Immediate Replacement Named
Selectors have decided not to name a replacement player immediately, believing the squad is sufficiently covered for the early matches. Any further decisions will be made later based on priority needs as the tournament progresses, according to Dodemaide.
Thin Pace Attack and Shaky Preparation
Hazlewood joins red-ball captain Pat Cummins on the injury list, leaving Australia short on pace options at the start of the tournament. With Mitchell Starc retired, this marks the first World Cup since March 2011 where none of Australia’s “Big Three” pacemen are involved. Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis are the only two fully fit frontline quicks in the current squad. Australia also enters the World Cup on the back of a 3–0 T20I series loss to Pakistan, while its sole warm-up match against the Netherlands was abandoned due to rain.
