Australia’s T20 World Cup Blow: Josh Hazlewood Ruled Out, No Immediate Replacement

Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign has been dealt another significant injury setback with confirmation that pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the tournament, joining Pat Cummins on the sidelines.

Massive news coming out of the Australian camp ahead of the T20 World Cup.

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Selector Tony Dodemaide explained that while they had hoped Hazlewood would recover from his Achilles injury in time for the Super 8 stage, accelerating his rehab now carries too much risk. “The latest indications [are] he is still some time away and accelerating his program will carry too much risk,” Dodemaide stated.

Australia have opted not to name an immediate replacement, instead choosing to assess their needs as the tournament progresses. “We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time,” Dodemaide added.

Hazlewood last played for Australia in the limited-overs series against India in October 2025. The Achilles injury occurred during his rehabilitation from a hamstring strain that had already ruled him out of the Ashes.

On a positive note, the team received encouraging updates on Nathan Ellis and Tim David, with both expected to be fit for the group stage. Spinner Adam Zampa is also likely to be available for their opening match.

Captain Mitchell Marsh expressed confidence in the squad’s depth despite the absence of two senior quicks. “One of the great things about Pat and Josh… is that we’ve been able to build a lot of depth within our squad,” Marsh said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in them (the other pacers) to do the job.”

Australia begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland next week, after their warm-up match against the Netherlands was abandoned.

                                               

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