The journey of former champion Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026 has finally ended. To save their place in Group B, Australia was waiting for the result of the match played between Ireland and Zimbabwe, but rain dashed their hopes. This match in Pallekele was canceled and with this it was decided that the Australian team would be out of the tournament.
Although this result was not directly in the hands of captain Mitchell Marsh’s team, but the defeat in the initial matches put them in this situation. Australia started with a win in their first match, but subsequent defeats against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka made their path difficult.
Steve Smith was called in the team, but not played
A decision of the Australian team management is now the most discussed. The team had called experienced batsman Steve Smith from Australia before the important match against Sri Lanka. He was included in the team in place of injured fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.
But the surprising thing was that despite such an important match, Smith was not given a place in the playing eleven. The team had high expectations from Smith, who performed brilliantly in the Big Bash League 2025-26. He scored 299 runs in 6 matches in the domestic T20 tournament and his strike rate was around 170.
Iceland Cricket roasted on social media
There was a lot of discussion on social media on the decision of not giving Smith a chance. Meanwhile, Iceland Cricket also shared a funny post taunting Australia. He wrote that the best thing for Smith in the T20 World Cup was the duty free shopping at the airport. We could have welcomed them better than this. They would erect a statue of him and give him free cod (fish) for the rest of his life. “Sometimes you forget the best player.”
After this post, fans have also started raising questions on the decision of the Australian team management.
Captain expressed disappointment
After the defeat to Sri Lanka, captain Mitchell Marsh said that the entire team is very disappointed and the emotions are clearly visible in the dressing room. He admitted that the team has not been able to perform its best this time.
After Australia’s early exit, the competition has become even more interesting for the other teams in the tournament. Whereas this season has left many questions for the Kangaroo team – especially regarding team selection.
