Australia might be without some of their biggest names, but Nathan Ellis believes the team can still go all the way in the T20 World Cup
Injury-hit Australia limp into the T20 World Cup without leading fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but Nathan Ellis says the team’s depleted attack can still carry the nation to glory.
Cummins pulled out with a back injury and Hazlewood lost a race to be fit after sustaining Achilles and hamstring injuries ruined his Ashes summer.
With Mitchell Starc having retired from T20 internationals, Australia will be without all three of their top quicks at a World Cup for the first time in more than a decade.
Ellis, the new leader of a pace attack featuring Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, said the new trio would be able to cover for the loss of their more experienced teammates.
“We’ve had 18 to 24 months of cricket together where the big three haven’t been playing and have had big workloads in the Test arena,” he told reporters from Colombo on Monday.
“I actually think we work together really well.
“We’ve all got different skillsets and can gel together on the night in different phases of the game.
“A squad with ‘Hoff’ (Hazlewood) and ‘Cummo’ (Cummins) is a strong squad obviously, but without them I feel like we’re just as well placed to go deep.”
Ellis will go into Australia’s opener against Ireland in Colombo on Wednesday without any recent match practice after hamstring tightness kept him out of Hobart Hurricanes’ Big Bash finals campaign.
In his absence, Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in a warm-up series against Pakistan.
Ellis has been used more as a specialist death bowler than a Powerplay enforcer, but conceded his role might need to change in Hazlewood’s absence.
“Obviously you have to take each game, conditions as they come, but losing one of the better white-ball bowlers in the world in ‘Hoff’, things are always going to have to change,” he said.
“My role will try to be adaptable as much as I can.”
2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott
Australia’s Group Stage fixtures
February 11: v Ireland, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (8:30pm AEDT)
February 13: v Zimbabwe, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (4:30pm AEDT)
February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)
February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)
Australia’s Super Eight fixtures
(Assuming all seeded teams qualify)
February 23: Australia (X2) v West Indies (X3), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Feb 24, 12:30am AEDT)
February 26: India (X1) v Australia (X2), MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Feb 27, 12:30am AEDT)
March 1: Australia (X2) v South Africa (X4), Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30pm AEDT
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
