Hazlewood Ruled Out of T20 World Cup as Australia Delay Replacement Call

Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign has suffered another major setback with fast bowler Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the tournament just five days before their opening match against Ireland. Selectors have confirmed that a decision on his replacement will be taken at a later stage.

Hazlewood’s withdrawal follows the earlier absence of Pat Cummins, further depleting Australia’s pace resources ahead of the global tournament. The loss is particularly significant given Hazlewood’s outstanding form in T20 cricket this year.

The right-arm quick enjoyed a dominant 2025, playing a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title win before starring in Australia’s T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand and India. He claimed 12 wickets at an average of 16.58 and an economy rate of 7.37, with his powerplay numbers even more impressive — eight wickets at 6.72 an over. His standout performances included figures of 3 for 27 against South Africa in Darwin and 3 for 13 against India in Melbourne.

However, Hazlewood’s season has been repeatedly disrupted by injury. He suffered a hamstring strain during the final Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes and later battled Achilles issues while attempting to return during the series. Despite shifting focus to the T20 World Cup and stating in January that “everything was going to plan,” Hazlewood did not travel to Colombo with the squad earlier this week, instead continuing his rehabilitation in Sydney.

Cricket Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said the fast bowler had not progressed far enough to safely return to competitive action.

“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage, but the latest indications are that he is still some time away and accelerating his program would carry too much risk,” Dodemaide said. “We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games and will make later decisions based on priority need.”

Sean Abbott, who travelled with the squad from Pakistan as a reserve, remains a potential replacement option. By delaying the decision, selectors retain flexibility to adjust the squad depending on conditions and requirements as the tournament progresses.

Australia have also been managing other fitness concerns. Adam Zampa, who experienced groin tightness during the final T20I against Pakistan, has been cleared to play in the opener against Ireland. Nathan Ellis and Tim David, both recovering from hamstring injuries, are also expected to be available during the group stage.

None of the three were fit enough to feature in Australia’s abandoned warm-up match against the Netherlands in Colombo on Thursday, which was washed out without a ball being bowled. Australia were forced to name only 11 fit players for that fixture.

Hazlewood’s absence marks a rare moment for Australian cricket. It will be the first time since the 2009 Champions Trophy that Australia have entered an ICC tournament without at least one of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith or David Warner in the squad.