PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Mitch Marsh's injury-depleted Australia squad crashed out of cricket's Twenty20 World Cup on Tuesday after Zimbabwe's Group B game against Ireland was abandoned because of rain without a ball being bowled.

MELBOURNE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Australia head coach Andrew McDonald put the blame for the team's humiliating T20 World Cup exit squarely on the players, rejecting criticism of their preparations and a "false narrative" that the nation is not taking the format seriously.

Tournament executives recently visited Chennai and met with local officials although BCCI will have the final say

Cricket Australia have been forced into a late squad rethink ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. Cricket Australia have confirmed Pat Cummins will not be part of Australia’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup after failing to recover from a back injury.

Australia vs Oman Live Score - Live Cricket Scorecard AUS vs OMA, Match 40, ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

One of cricket’s biggest powerhouses, the Australia men’s national cricket team, could miss out on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as the sport returns to the mega event after 128 years.

The Australian cricket team has struggled mightily at the 2026 T20 World Cup and has now been eliminated after back-to-back losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

Ricky Ponting slammed Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, saying injuries hurt but the loss to Zimbabwe was the decisive low point that ended their Super 8 qualification hopes.