New Delhi, 06 February (H.S.): On Friday, Australia suffered a major setback ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka and India, with star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood ruled out entirely due to failure in meeting fitness deadlines.

Hazlewood, sidelined by an Achilles injury, has been undergoing rehabilitation in Sydney. He last played in October 2025 during the ODI and T20I series against India.

A prior hamstring issue had already forced him to miss the start of the Ashes, followed by the Achilles problem that wiped out the entire series.

Australian selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed the decision, noting the team had hoped Hazlewood would regain match fitness by the Super 8 stage. However, recent medical reports indicate further delays, and rushing recovery risked aggravating the injury.

Dodemaide stated to Cricket Australia: We were hopeful that Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super-8 until the latest indications (are) he is still some time away. Trying to accelerate his programme will carry too much of a risk.

Australia will not announce a replacement for Hazlewood right away, as selectors believe the squad is balanced for early matches. Dodemaide added: We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.

This marks the second major blow for Australia, already without captain Pat Cummins due to a persistent back injury that limited him to just the Adelaide Test in the Ashes. On a brighter note, Nathan Ellis and Tim David are on track for group-stage availability, while Adam Zampa is expected to feature in the opener in Colombo.

Captain's ConfidenceT20 captain Mitchell Marsh expressed faith in the bowling attack, crediting the depth built from all-format stars like Cummins and Hazlewood. He remarked: The players stepping in have played plenty of cricket, and we trust them fully. We'll select the team based on conditions. Marsh highlighted Australia's consistent performance over the past 18 months across varied conditions.

Australia opens its group campaign against Ireland on February 11 in Colombo, with ample preparation time remaining.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar