Josh Hazlewood confident of being available for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is confident of being available for the start of Australia’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in India and Sri Lanka next month after an injury break that ruled him out of the Ashes.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Hazlewood has admitted that he is running well and the strength work is going well ahead of the mega event. Notably, he was ruled out of the Ashes with a hamstring strain and then suffered an Achilles injury during his rehabilitation.

“Everything’s going to plan. We took a few extra weeks once we couldn’t make the Test matches. Running’s going well and all the strength work is going well, so I’m on track,” Hazlewood told ESPNcricinfo.

"My gym and everything is still mostly the same, but I think purely from a bowling workload, leading into the next red-ball game, do as much as we can in terms of just dicing it up a little bit differently,” he added.

Australia’s opening match is against Ireland, scheduled for February 11 in the showpiece event. Chairman of selectors George Bailey had previously stated that Australia may manage fast bowlers. Moreover, Pat Cummins’ return might also be delayed. 

"Sometimes, when one thing goes and the other thing resurfaces. But it [the ankle] was probably another thing I'd been just managing over the last few years, and then it just creeps up. I guess when you start back up, sometimes your body doesn't like that stopping and getting it going [again]. So probably not as much of a dive into these two little niggles,” Hazlewood stated.

"But we're still working on implementing training a different way, a little bit. Potentially bowling two or three days in a row and then having four or five days off and then doing that again, rather than Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday,” he concluded.

Provisional Australian squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

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