Australia Provisional Squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Australia has announced its provisional squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in Sri Lanka and India. Mitchell Marsh has been named captain, while Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, and Cooper Connolly return to the squad. These three players were unavailable for the recent T20I series against India. The provisional squad consists of 15 players.
Australian selection committee chairman George Bailey said that the conditions in India and Sri Lanka were taken into account during team selection.
"The T20 side has enjoyed a long run of recent success which enabled the panel to choose a balance of players across the variety of conditions Sri Lanka and India may present," Bailey said.
“Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Tim David are tracking well and we are confident they will be available for the World Cup.
“This is a preliminary squad so should changes need to be made they will ahead of the support period.”
This time, the selectors have prioritized spin bowlers. As a result of this strategy, Hobart Hurricanes' explosive batsman Mitchell Owen failed to secure a place in the squad. Furthermore, due to Mitchell Starc's retirement from T20I cricket and Spencer Johnson's injury, no left-arm fast bowler was selected. Xavier Bartlett was preferred over Ben Dwarshuis as a fast bowler. Cooper Connolly, who hasn't featured in Australia's last 12 T20 International matches, was the most surprising inclusion in the squad. Meanwhile, Matthew Short, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Xavier Bartlett could make their World Cup debuts in this tournament.
Australia's biggest concern is player fitness. Pat Cummins' back scan results will be available later this month, after which it will be decided whether he will be able to play in the T20 World Cup. Josh Hazlewood and Tim David are working on their recovery from hamstring injuries. According to ICC rules, changes to the squad are possible until January 31st.
Provisional Australian Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
As for the Australian team, they are scheduled to play a series against Pakistan just before the 2026 T20 World Cup, with the Australian team touring Pakistan at the beginning of the new year. Following this, they will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The T20 World Cup will begin on February 7th, and the final will be played on March 8th.
