Ellis backs Australia's pace depth to cover big-name absences

Nathan Ellis has conceded Josh Hazlewood is a "big miss" for Australia at the 2026 T20 World Cup but has backed the squad's bowling depth to come to the fore with a new group of quicks having emerged since the previous tournament.

Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were part of the Australia's initial squad but neither have made the tournament due to the injuries that impacted their home summer. With Mitchell Starc having retired from T20Is it means none of the big three are present at this World Cup.

It leaves Ellis (32 caps), who also had to recover from a hamstring injury, as Australia's most experienced pace bowler and needing to play a senior role in the team alongside Ben Dwarshuis (14 caps) and Xavier Bartlett (18 caps). They are supported by allrounders Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis in the pace department with Australia currently operating with a 14-player squad having not yet replaced Hazlewood. Sean Abbott (29 caps) is part of the group as a reserve.

"You lose a world-class player and one of the better white-ball bowlers in the world in Hoff [Hazlewood], things are always going to have to change," Ellis said. "Really unfortunate for our squad that Hoff's missing out but also for him. I feel like the poor bugger's had a tough few months and hasn't been able to get up. My role will [be to] try to be adaptable as much as I can but, yeah, missing Josh Hazlewood is always a big miss."

With neither Cummins or Starc having played a T20I since the previous World Cup in 2024 - and Hazlewood being rested at times - it has given Australia a chance to expand their pace stocks. Dwarshuis has found success with his variations, and adds the left-arm angle that wasn't present in the original squad, while Bartlett has made a good impression with the new ball.

"We've had 18 to 24 months of cricket together where the big three haven't been playing and have had bigger workloads in the Test arena," Ellis said. "So we've had time to form connections and form relationships on and off the field. As a bowling unit I actually think we work together really, really well.

"We've all got sort of different skill sets and we can gel together on the night and in different phases of the game. Massively beneficial from the work in the last 18 months leading up to now, so it's not going to be a foreign space for us without those two big names. Obviously, a squad with Hoff and Cummo is a strong squad, but without them I feel like we're just as well-placed to go deep."

Ellis missed the BBL finals with Hobart Hurricanes due to his hamstring problem but is confident of being ready for the opening game against Ireland on Wednesday, although there remains a chance the selectors will be cautious and hold him back until Zimbabwe two days later. How Ellis comes through Australia's main training session on Monday will likely be the deciding factor.

"I'm conscious of jinxing myself here," he said. "I feel really good in myself, it was a very precautionary [missing BBL], there was something there a couple weeks ago … and we've taken a really cautious approach. We've got three games in a short amount of time at the start of our tournament, but touch wood I'm really confident that I'll be fit and strong and hopefully playing every game of this World Cup."

Australia will be the final team to start their campaign with some sides having played twice by the time they face Ireland. It has given them a chance to look at how the early contests have played out, and there was particular interest in Sri Lanka's game against Ireland on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium, where they play their first two matches. However, Ellis also noted how the varying start times of fixtures could have a bearing on how a game plays out.

"I think what we've seen so far is there's been a little bit of slower wickets here in Sri Lanka and there's been a lot of spin bowled," he said. "I think that the big difference will be the 11am start to 7pm starts, so we'll keep an eye on that and hopefully use it to our advantage."