Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remaining Test matches in the Ashes but it is uncertain for now if the fast bowler will be available for the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. Cummins could play just one Test in the Ashes, the recently concluded match in Adelaide which Australia won and thus confirmed a series victory.
The 35-year-old took as many as six wickets in Australia’s 82-run win, having sat the first two Tests out due to a lumbar stress reaction that he had sustained following their tour of the West Indies earlier this year. Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said that among the discussion that he will have with selectors will be about whether Cummins can be included in the squad for the T20 World Cup, which they are to name soon.
“That’ll be an assessment,” McDonald said of Cummins’ T20 World Cup chances. “I’m assuming he’ll have a check-in scan at some point and gather more information around where his back is at… looking forward to the World Cup, whether he’ll be there or not. I can’t really say. It’s quite grey at the moment. We’re hopeful.”
Cummins appearances in T20 internationals have ground to a dead stop since Australia’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, which ended in the Super Eights. His last match was their final Super Eights match against eventual champions India, which Australia lost by 24 runs. Cummins had a rather forgettable outing on the day, having been smashed for 48 runs with no wickets in his four overs.
Co-hosts India and Sri Lanka are the only two teams to have announced their squad for the T20 World Cup thus far. Even among them, Sri Lanka have only announced a 25-member preliminary squad which will be cut down to a 15-member final list of players. They have announced Dasun Shanaka as their new captain for the tournament. India, meanwhile, have announced their final squad that will face New Zealand at home next month before the start of the tournament. Their headline act was cutting the out-of-form Shubman Gill out of the squad and reinstating Sanju Samson as their first choice opener and wicketkeeper.
