Aussies undeterred by injuries before T20 World Cup opener
Captain Mitchell Marsh confirmed that swashbuckling batter Tim David will miss out Australia’s tournament opener.
Marred by injuries in the lead up to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Australia will also miss out on power hitter Tim David in their opening game against Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the clash in Colombo, skipper Mitchell Marsh however confirmed that David will be back into the fray in the games to follow.
"We'll certainly see him come back into contention over the next few games," he told reporters.
David is recovering from a hamstring strain as the 2021 winners look to ease him into the scheme of things.
In the pace department, Australia are also without the services of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, making it the first time they feature at a World Cup without the duo as well as Mitchell Starc since 2011.
In their absence, Nathan Ellis will be leading the fast bowling unit, with Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis also in contention.
Broadcast details for Men's T20 World Cup 2026
"Over the past 12 months, guys like Benny Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett have played pretty much all our games, so we've got great confidence that they'll be able to do a role for us," Marsh said.
"We've built out a squad of maybe 18 to 20 people that have played over the past 12 months, and we've got game time to all of them.
"They've all faced different situations in matches and while some of them haven't played a lot for Australia, they've played a lot of cricket and we've got great confidence … in the group that we've got here," he added.
Australia are slotted in Group B alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Oman and Ireland, whom they face on Wednesday, February 11.
