Cricket Australia (CA) has officially announced a spin-heavy 15-man provisional squad for the 2026 showpiece. Led by Mitchell Marsh, the squad features some massive names returning from injury as the Aussies aim to conquer the subcontinental conditions in India and Sri Lanka.
Leadership
○ Captain: Mitchell Marsh
○ Head Coach: Andrew McDonald
○ Chief Selector: George Bailey
Top-Order Batters
○ Travis Head
○ Mitchell Marsh
○ Josh Inglis (wk)
Middle-Order & Finishers
○ Tim David
○ Marcus Stoinis
○ Glenn Maxwell
All-Rounders
○ Cameron Green
○ Matthew Short
○ Cooper Connolly
Spinners
○ Adam Zampa (Leg-spin)
○ Matthew Kuhnemann (Left-arm)
○ Glenn Maxwell (Part-time)
Fast Bowlers
○ Pat Cummins
○ Josh Hazlewood
○ Nathan Ellis
○ Xavier Bartlett
📅 Australia Fixtures & Match Schedule
Australia is placed in Group B and will play all of their opening group matches in Sri Lanka.
Feb 11, 2026: vs Ireland
○ Time: 8:30 PM AEDT (3:00 PM IST)
○ Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Feb 13, 2026: vs Zimbabwe
○ Time: 4:30 PM AEDT (11:00 AM IST)
○ Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Feb 17, 2026: vs Sri Lanka
○ Time: 12:30 AM AEDT (Feb 16, 7:00 PM IST)
○ Venue: Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy
Feb 21, 2026: vs Oman
○ Time: 1:30 AM AEDT (Feb 20, 8:00 PM IST)
○ Venue: Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy
⚡ Key Tournament Headlines
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The Spin Gamble: In a major tactical shift, Australia has included Matthew Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly. Selectors are prioritizing "spin to win" strategies to handle the turning tracks expected in Colombo and Kandy.
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Injury Watch: Superstars Pat Cummins (back), Josh Hazlewood (hamstring), and Tim David (hamstring) have all been included despite fitness concerns. Selection chair George Bailey confirmed they are "tracking well" for the February 7 start.
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No Left-Arm Pace: For the first time in years, Australia’s T20 World Cup squad features no left-arm seamers following the T20I retirement of Mitchell Starc and an injury to Spencer Johnson. Xavier Bartlett takes the specialist pace slot instead.
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The "Bison" at the Helm: Mitchell Marsh officially takes over the full-time captaincy for a World Cup campaign, looking to lead Australia to their second T20 title after the 2021 triumph.
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