Australia's chaotic buildup to cricket's T20 World Cup: Injuries, omissions and losses

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Mitch Marsh's Australia squad has had a chaotic buildup to the Twenty20 World Cup, he'll fully agree.

Josh Hazlewood was ruled out Friday because of a long-term hamstring injury, meaning Australia will go into a World Cup tournament for the first time since 2011 without any of its three frontline pace bowlers.

Pat Cummins was ruled out because of injury and Mitchell Starc has retired from T20s.

Adding to the lack of experience, top-order batter and former skipper Steve Smith wasn’t selected.

Then there's the on-field dramas: A 3-0 series loss for an understrength lineup in Pakistan, including Australia's worst-ever loss in the T20 format.

For Marsh, though, that's already in the past.

“Look, Pakistan was Pakistan,” the big allrounder said at the tournament’s captains call this week in Colombo. “We had a few guys missing and we come here with a long lead-in and a good training session yesterday.

“We'll be very well prepared for our first game.”

It's a good thing that's not until Wednesday.

The Australians usually enter the global International Cricket Council tournaments among the favorites for the title. They've dominated the World Cup in the one-day format, have reached two of the three World Test Championship finals and won the T20 world title in 2021.

Until the trip to Pakistan, Australia had won 17 of 21 T20s.

But things are different this time, with injuries and a very slow changing of the guard.

The tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka starts Saturday with Pakistan against Netherlands. Australia doesn't open until Feb. 11 against Ireland in Colombo, the first of four Group B games in 10 days that also includes showdowns with Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Oman.

The Australian batters struggled against spin on slow, turning pitches in Pakistan and the conditions are similar in Sri Lanka.

After the quick tour to Pakistan, Marsh said the home team had “outplayed us throughout the whole series.”

“We will take learnings from that,” he said. “We will certainly address this series and look forward to the World Cup.”

Helping matters for the Australians will be the return of allrounder Glenn Maxwell, big-hitting batter Tim David and economical fast bowler Nathan Ellis to the squad after arriving in Colombo.

Maxwell has long been one of the greatest T20 players in the world, capable of producing match-winning innings, engineering crucial wickets with his off-spin and turning momentum with his exceptional fielding.

His form is crucial to Australia's success, along with the ability of Marsh and Travis Head to get the innings away to fast starts. Head has proven himself as a match-winner in the test and ODI formats and should excel on the biggest stage in T20, where his ability against spin and his array of scoring options suit the tempo of the game. He hasn't posted a half-century in his last 11 T20 international innings, but he could be primed for the world tournament.

In the understrength bowling department, Ellis, who is returning from a hamstring injury, and veteran spinner Adam Zampa hold the keys.

Zampa has taken 139 wickets in 111 T20 internationals at an economy rate of 7.37 and a strike rate of 17, and was among the stars of the 2021 title-winning squad.

Hazlewood was initially going to have a delayed start to the tournament and remained in Sydney to continue his recovery, with Sean Abbott sent to Sri Lanka as a traveling reserve for cover.

"We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super Eights stage but the latest indications (are) he is still some time away,” Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said Friday. “Trying to accelerate his program will carry too much of a risk.

“We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games so will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Fans cheer during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Australia's Ben Dwarshuis, right, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha during the third T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Australia's Matt Renshaw is bowled out by Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi during the third T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Australia's Cameron Green bats during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed, center, celebrates with teammate after the dismissal of Australia's Mitchell Marsh, right, during the second T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge turned to the Bleacher Creatures during their first-inning Roll Call at the New York Yankees' home opener Friday, bent a knee and flexed with both arms in honor of Brett Gardner.

“Still hoping he gets a chance to come back here and share his knowledge with the boys a little bit,” Judge said after his go-ahead, two-run homer in the first inning started the Yankees to an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins. “He was a big part of this team, his long tenure here as a Yankee, so I always like paying him a little credit. He's tuned into the game and watching.”

Gardner spent his entire big league career with the Yankees from 2008-21, and Judge made his major league debut with New York in 2016. Judge started flexing for Roll Call when playing center field, Gardner's old position. Judge roomed with Gardner in 2017.

“He was a leader. He was a professional. He was a prankster. He was everything that you look for in a guy to lead the team,” Judge said, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. “He took me in at a young age when I first got here and he treated me just like everybody else and showed me respect. He taught me a lot of things. It kind of teaches you how to lead a clubhouse. He had a big influence on me not only on the field but inside this clubhouse, just the way he played the game and the way he held everybody to a standard. Very few guys are made like Brett Gardner.”

Gardner has been in the Yankees' thoughts even more since March 2024, when his youngest son died at age 14 during a family vacation in Costa Rica. Authorities determined carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death.

Judge, the team captain, wanted the Yankees to arrive in style after opening 5-1 on their West Coast trip.

“That's Cap, again, setting the tone,” said Ben Rice, who homered and drove in three runs. “Sent us a text late last night saying: `Hey, suits tomorrow.' So everybody was fired up and we were happy to continue that momentum out on the field.”

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez for a 2-1 lead.

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge’s five hits this season have been home runs.

Coming off his third AL MVP award and first batting title, Judge is off to a slow start with a .185 average.

He gave his teammates a scare in the second inning when he was hit below the right wrist by a 98.9 mph fastball from Pérez, one pitch after Grisham's bases-loaded walk.

“I’ve broken my wrist like that, so that’s always the main concern,” Judge said.

Judge missed 45 games after he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City’s Jakob Junis on July 26, 2018.

“Felt like he was probably OK but I tend to jump up a little quicker when it’s to him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) hits a two-run home run during the first inning of the Yankees' home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) walks back to dugout during the fifth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) successfully steals second base during the eighth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees outfielders Cody Bellinger (35), Trent Grisham (12) and Aaron Judge (99) embrace each other after wining a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of the Yankees' home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)