Smith, Jarvis and Volschenk approved as T20 World Cup replacements

Veteran batter Steve Smith has officially joined Australia’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ahead of their crucial clash against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Smith replaces pacer Josh Hazlewood, with Australia having initially held off on naming a substitute after Hazlewood was sidelined earlier this month with a calf injury.

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The 36-year-old has not featured in a T20I for nearly two years, with his last appearance in the format coming against New Zealand in Auckland in February 2024.

“The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Steve Smith as a replacement for Josh Hazlewood in the Australia squad,” the ICC said in a statement on Monday.

“Smith has been named as a replacement for Hazlewood, who has now been officially ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury. The team’s medical staff had hoped to have him fit in time to feature in the latter part of the tournament but were unsuccessful,” it added.

Smith trained with the Australian squad in Kandy on Sunday evening after arriving in Sri Lanka in recent days. He had initially travelled as cover for opener Mitchell Marsh, who missed Australia’s first two matches due to a testicular injury.

Scotland call up Jack Jarvis

In another squad update, Jack Jarvis has been cleared to replace injured seamer Safyaan Sharif in Scotland’s squad for the ongoing tournament.

Sharif suffered a right groin injury during a training session on February 12. Jarvis, who already has eight T20I caps and was with the squad as a travelling reserve, has now joined the main group.

“The Event Technical Committee (ETC) of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Jack Jarvis as a replacement for Safyaan Sharif in the Scotland squad,” the ICC confirmed.

Scotland, who received a late entry into the tournament less than three weeks ago, had to quickly transition from pre-season preparations into competition mode. After three matches in Kolkata, including a commanding win over Italy and defeats to the West Indies and England, they sit third in Group C.

They now travel to Mumbai to face Nepal on Tuesday evening and will need favourable results elsewhere as well to secure a place in the Super Eights.

Namibia bring in Volschenk

Namibia have also made a change to their squad, with Alex Volschenk approved as a replacement for Ben Shikongo.

“The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Alex Volschenk as a replacement for Ben Shikongo in the Namibia squad,” the ICC said.

Shikongo was ruled out after sustaining a right thigh injury during Namibia’s match against India on February 12, paving the way for Volschenk’s inclusion.