Veteran cricketer Steve Smith has been officially included in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. He replaced pacer Josh Hazlewood, who was sidelined due to a calf injury. Smith, aged 36, last played a T20I for Australia almost two years ago in a match against New Zealand in February 2024.
The ICC’s Event Technical Committee approved Smith’s addition to the squad in place of Hazlewood. The decision was made as Hazlewood was unable to recover from his injury in time for the tournament. Smith joined the team in Kandy and trained with them ahead of the crucial match against Sri Lanka.
Australia faced a setback with a surprise defeat to Zimbabwe and now needs victories in their remaining Group B matches to advance to the Super Eights stage. The replacement of a player in the squad requires approval from the Event Technical Committee, which comprises key cricket officials.
Opener Mitchell Marsh, who missed the initial matches due to an injury, also returned to training and is aiming to make a comeback in the upcoming game against the tournament co-hosts at Pallekele Stadium.
