Before the T20 World Cup 2026, the Australian team is facing continuous setbacks due to injuries. First Pat Cummins was ruled out of the team, and now Josh Hazlewood has also been ruled out of the squad due to being unfit. Hazlewood was initially included in the team, but due to fitness issues, he will not be able to participate in the tournament.
In such a situation, Cricket Australia has decided to include experienced batsman Steve Smith in the team in his place. After receiving approval from the ICC Technical Committee, this change has been officially announced.
Steve Smith could be seen in the match against Sri Lanka
Amidst the uncertainty regarding player fitness in the T20 World Cup 2026, Australia had already decided to join experienced batsman Steve Smith with the team as a backup. He has reached Sri Lanka with the team and also participated in the practice session with the players on February 15.
Australian captain Mitchell Marsh was unavailable for the first two matches due to injury, so Smith was called in as his cover. Now officially included in the squad, he could take the field in the match against Sri Lanka on February 16 if needed.
Smith last played a T20 International match in February 2024. However, he appeared in excellent rhythm in the recently concluded Big Bash League 2025-26 season. Playing for the Sydney Sixers, he scored 299 runs at an average of 59.80. Talking about his T20 International career, Smith has scored 1094 runs in 67 matches at an average of 24.86, while his strike rate has been 125.45.
Danger of being knocked out from the Group Stage looms
Australia is playing in Group B in the T20 World Cup 2026 and has received mixed results in two matches so far. They won one match, while they had to face defeat in the other. For this reason, the team’s position in the points table is not strong and the danger of being eliminated from the group stage is hovering over them.
Australia had to face a defeat by 23 runs against Zimbabwe in their last match. This defeat has also affected their net run rate, which currently stands at 1.100. Net run rate plays a very important role in this stage of the tournament, so this remains a matter of concern.
Now the situation is clear for the Kangaroo team—they will have to win the remaining two matches. If they suffer a defeat in even one of these matches, their path to reaching the Super-8 could almost be closed.
