He hasn't played a game across formats since October.
Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 plans have suffered another major setback, as pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood is going to miss the marquee tournament despite being initially named in the squad. This situation has raised serious questions about squad depth and debates around why is Josh Hazlewood not playing for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026.
The news has intensified Australia’s injury concerns, particularly after Pat Cummins was also ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026. With Mitchell Starc having retired from T20I cricket last year, Australia will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign without their most reliable fast-bowling trio.
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Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday that Josh Hazlewood will miss the entire T20 World Cup 2026, with his replacement to be announced at a later stage. The confirmation came just five days before Australia’s tournament opener against Ireland on February 11.
The primary reason why is Josh Hazlewood not playing for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026 is his ongoing fitness concerns, despite enjoying arguably the best year of his T20 career in 2025. The right-arm pacer played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title triumph and delivered impressive performances in the T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand, and India.
In eight T20Is in 2025, Josh Hazlewood picked up 12 wickets at an average of 16.58 and an economy rate of 7.37. Overall, he claimed 34 wickets in 19 innings at an average of 17.20 and an economy of 8.23, including a four-wicket haul. This highlights just how big a loss he is for Australia.
What truly set him apart was his impact with the new ball. Josh Hazlewood picked up eight wickets in the powerplay at an exceptional economy of 6.72, consistently providing early breakthroughs. His standout spells included figures of 3/27 against South Africa in Darwin and a match-winning 3/13 against India in Melbourne.
However, injuries explain why is Josh Hazlewood not playing for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026. He suffered a hamstring strain while bowling in the final Sheffield Shield 2025–26 match ahead of the Ashes 2025. During rehabilitation, he developed Achilles issues, which ruled him out of Ashes 2025 and delayed his return to T20 action.
Despite these setbacks, Hazlewood remained hopeful of featuring in the tournament. Selector Tony Dodemaide had earlier indicated that the pacer might miss only the initial matches. However, concerns grew when Hazlewood did not travel with the Australia T20 World Cup 2026 squad to Colombo and instead continued his rehabilitation in Sydney.
That plan is now off the table. Dodemaide explained that rushing Hazlewood back by the Super 8 stage would carry “too much risk,” as he remains well short of full match fitness.
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Sean Abbott, who travelled with the Australia T20 World Cup 2026 squad as a reserve following the Pakistan T20I series, is the leading contender to replace Hazlewood in the Australia T20 World Cup 2026 squad. By delaying the announcement, selectors have retained flexibility to assess conditions and combinations during the early group-stage matches.
Australia are also monitoring other fitness concerns. Adam Zampa, who reportedly sustained a groin injury during the third T20I against Pakistan. However, Zampa is expected to be fit for the opener against Ireland. Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis and Tim David have both recovered from hamstring injuries, though questions remain over their match readiness due to limited game time.
Josh Hazlewood’s absence also meant that this will be the first ICC tournament since the Champions Trophy 2009 where Australia will not feature at least one of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith, or David Warner in their squad.
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