With chief selector George Bailey stating that veteran speed bowler Pat Cummins is unlikely to play in the first games of the prestigious event owing to persisting injury worries, Australia’s preparations for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have suffered.
Pat Cummins initially experienced the setback before to the 2025–26 Ashes series. He has been dealing with a lumbar bone stress issue. He missed four of the five Test matches due to the back problem. The batsman from New South Wales declared himself out for the rest of the Ashes, after making a comeback to the playing XI in the third Test in Adelaide and making an impression with a six-wicket haul.
Bailey disclosed that Pat Cummins is still working towards full health and won’t be able to play in the first few games of Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign, which begins with matches in India and Sri Lanka. The former Australian captain continued by explaining that the selectors want to make sure Pat Cummins gets as much time as possible to heal so that his chances of getting hurt again are as low as possible.
Pat Cummins will miss more than just the first World Cup games.
Around game three or four of the competition, he will most likely join that World Cup group. That’s the plan, if we can. It’s obvious that if something shifts and we have to cover it, we will, but, sure, hopefully, that’s how that one goes, Bailey was quoted as saying.
Seniors took a break for the Pakistan T20Is.
Cummins will miss more than just the first World Cup games. Due to workload management and recuperation plans, he has also been excluded from Australia’s three-match Twenty20 International series against Pakistan, which is set for January 29 to February 1. As a precaution, Cricket Australia has chosen to rest a couple of its senior players ahead of the international competition, which is in less than three weeks.
The team for the Pakistan trip has left out a number of top players, including Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis, in addition to Pat Cummins. On Monday, the selection committee decided to provide the players with the necessary rest in order to keep them rested and prepared for the international competition.
Australia’s team for the T20Is against Pakistan:
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