Key T20 weapons on track for Cup opener as Aussies sharpen prep

3h ago Jack Paynter

Chief selector George Bailey provides an update on Tim David, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ahead of T20 World Cup

Australia are confident star batter Tim David will be fit for the start of next month's T20 World Cup despite a minor setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, with fast bowler Josh Hazlewood also on track to be available for their tournament opener.

Pat Cummins however won't travel to Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup with selection chair George Bailey revealing Australia's Test and ODI captain wouldn't join the squad until after their second group-stage match against Zimbabwe on February 13.

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Cummins is managing a back stress issue that limited him to just one Test during Australia's 4-1 Ashes victory this home summer, while Hazlewood didn't feature at all against England after injuring his right hamstring in the Sheffield Shield in early November.

David is also recovering from a hamstring strain that cut short his Big Bash season with Hobart Hurricanes.

The trio weren't named in Australia's 17-man squad to tour Pakistan for three T20 internationals prior to the World Cup, with David and Hazlewood, along with rested duo Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell, to link up with the squad in Colombo ahead of their tournament opener against Ireland on February 11.

Hobart Hurricanes skipper Ellis and Melbourne Stars allrounder Maxwell are potentially set for a "busy few days" with the pair's teams to face off in the sudden-death KFC BBL|15 Knockout on Wednesday night. The winner of that match then plays again on Friday.

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"Like nearly every tournament that we head to, particularly when it's a really busy time of the year, it's very much working with the individuals around making sure they get the best preparation they can to make sure when they do join that World Cup squad, they're ready to perform," Bailey said.

The same can be said for David, who Bailey confirmed had a "very minor setback" in his rehab last week that meant he wasn't able to complete a running session.

"But he has since been cleared of any damage," Bailey said. "It was just on the back of a heavy week, so he's still tracking for the start of the tournament; Josh (Hazlewood) is in the same boat."

Australia then plan to unleash a fully fit Cummins in the second half of the tournament, similar to Travis Head's return from a broken hand during the 2023 ODI World Cup that saw the left-hander plunder 329 runs in six matches, including a player-of-the-final 137 to down India.

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Sri Lankan pitches' propensity to encourage spin, where almost 45 per cent of the men's T20 international wickets taken in the country have fallen to the slower bowlers, lends itself to allowing Cummins extra time to get his body right. Australia play their four World Cup group matches in Sri Lanka (two in Colombo, two in Kandy) before moving to India for the Super Eight phase, should they qualify.

Fringe quicks Ben Dwarshuis and Sean Abbott, both regular members of Australia's T20 squad in the past year, are part of the tourists' group heading to Pakistan prior to the World Cup and will get an opportunity to push their case should Hazlewood or Cummins face any setbacks.

Australia have until January 31 to finalise their World Cup squad, while they're also yet to name any travelling reserves for the tournament.

"Part of that will certainly be how (Hazlewood and Cummins) are tracking and looking for the tournament, and if they're both going well, then it'll be just about covering any potential gaps that we may see throughout the tournament," Bailey said.

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Another name that's becoming harder for selectors to overlook should T20 batting reinforcements be needed is Steve Smith, who has slammed 173 runs at a strike rate better than 175 in his three hits for Sydney Sixers this BBL season. Since shifting to opening in BBL|12, Smith has hit four centuries – the most in men's Big Bash history – and four fifties in just 12 innings, averaging 94.13 and striking at 173.50.

Bailey said Smith's name would "no doubt … be in the mix" if a position opened up towards the top of the order.

"It's a great problem to have," he said. "He's playing incredibly well, as he has done in the BBL for the past couple of years, in a position that we've got really good coverage in.

"I'd hate to put a line through Steve that he couldn't bat anywhere else because he's proven his ability to be able to do that on a number of occasions.

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"When he's had (T20) international opportunities of late it has been at the top, certainly in his most recent (games against New Zealand in February 2024 and India in November 2023).

"He's played a lot of international T20 cricket.

"Clearly when he goes back to the Big Bash, he is a level above.

"He's playing incredibly well, but Mitch Marsh and Travis Head are also playing incredibly well, and they've done really well at the top for us in the T20 format."

2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa