Australia has picked its starting team list for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The event will happen next month in India and Sri Lanka. This is a group of 15 players. A young player named Cooper Connolly got a place in it.
He did very well in the current Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers. Connolly is a left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner. He made 170 runs with a strike rate of 166.66. He also took five wickets while giving away runs at 7.62 per over. His good play made the team bosses add him as another spinner. He joins older players like Adam Zampa, Matt Kuhnemann, and Glenn Maxwell.
Two players did not get into the team. They are Mitchell Owen from Hobart Hurricanes and Ben Dwarshuis from Sydney Sixers. Owen started his international career in the West Indies. He played 13 T20 matches last year. In his first four games, he scored 50, 36 not out, and 37 runs. But after that, his form got bad. He has not done well in this Big Bash League either.
That is why they left him out. Dwarshuis is a left-arm fast bowler with promise. He did well in matches against West Indies and South Africa this year. But a calf injury stopped him from playing much in the New Zealand series. He also missed games against India. Mitchell Starc has quit T20 internationals. Spencer Johnson is hurt. So now the team has no left-arm fast bowler. They picked Xavier Bartlett for the last fast bowling spot instead.
Big players Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Tim David are in the team. But they must show they are fully fit in the next few weeks. Cummins only played one Ashes Test because of a back issue. He needs a clean scan by late January. Hazlewood missed all Ashes games due to hamstring and Achilles problems.
David got a hamstring injury that ended his Big Bash League early. Head coach Andrew McDonald said earlier this week that they are in. Selector George Bailey said the team fits the different pitches in Sri Lanka and India. They can change it until early February if needed. Bailey is sure Cummins, Hazlewood, and David will be ready.
The team bosses did not pick a second wicketkeeper for the 15 players. This means Josh Inglis must stay healthy. Glenn Maxwell has helped as a backup keeper before when there was no main one. They did not choose Alex Carey or Josh Philippe. This left room for others who are more likely to play. If they need extra fast bowlers and Cummins or Hazlewood are not fit, they can call up Dwarshuis or Sean Abbott fast.
Australia starts its matches on February 11 against Ireland in Sri Lanka. Then come group games with Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Oman, all in Sri Lanka. The team will get ready with three T20 matches in Pakistan at the end of January.
That team list will come later. Mitchell Marsh is the captain. The group has allrounders like Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, and Maxwell. Batters include Travis Head and Matthew Short. Bowlers are Nathan Ellis.
Here is the full starting list for Australia's 2026 T20 World Cup team: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. This group shows Australia's good T20 form lately. It also gets ready for hard conditions in the subcontinent.