T20 World Cup 2026: Australia rush in former captain Steve Smith as cover after Mitchell Marsh misses Ireland game

Cricket Australia have are flying in former captain Steve Smith as a cover for Mitchell Marsh after the skipper missed out on their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against Ireland in Colombo on Wednesday. The development came in after vice-captain Travis Head walked out for the toss against Ireland at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Smith will join the Australian camp in Colombo as a standby in case Marsh is unavailable for the rest of tourney.

Marsh, who had played just two games against Pakistan in the T20I series, prior to the T20 World Cup, sustained a groin injury during training earlier this week.

"Mitchell Marsh will miss the opening match of the ICC men's T20 World Cup after sustaining a direct blow to the groin during training earlier this week. He is experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort which is restricting his movement," a Cricket Australia statement said.

"Scans have confirmed internal testicular bleeding, and he will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. His return to play will be guided by symptom resolution and medical advice," it further stated. As a result, Marsh became the third Australian player to be injured ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

Earlier, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood had to be omitted due to injuries while Tim David (in the squad) is still recovering. David is expected to make a comeback against Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia is yet to announce Hazlewood's replacement. Although Sean Abbott is travelling with the squad, the team management is yet to announce him as a replacement.

Steve Smith's T20I performance for Australia

The last time Smith played for Australia in the shortest format was against New Zealand in Auckland. So far, Smith played 67 matches for Australia, scoring 1094 runs with a career-best of 90. A former captain of Australia in the shortest format, Smith's exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad initially, raised a few eyebrows, despite his Big Bash League (BBL) show.

In the recently-concluded BBL, Smith scored 299 runs at an average of 59.80 with a strike rate of 167.97 in six innings. Smith was a part of the Australia's squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2021.

Catch the live action of the T20 World Cup 2026 with the complete T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, and the T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table. Also, know who currently leading the charts for Most Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 and Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026.