Australian legend Glenn McGrath gave the Australia cricket team a brutal reality check after their early exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Consecutive defeats against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka forced the former champions to confirm their return flight.
Describing Australia’s disappointing performance under Mitchell Marsh, McGrath said the team has lost the aura it was famous for. The former cricketer said that the absence of two fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood also affected the team’s performance.
Australia without aura: Glenn McGrath
During a recent interaction, the former cricketer, who is now a cricket expert, said that he was worried about the team’s performance since the beginning of the competition, with both Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ruled out of the competition due to injury.
Hazlewood was named in the squad, but was released through injury a few days before the opening game of the campaign. According to McGrath, the team missed the aura.
Speaking on the YouTube show ‘The Fast Bowling Cartel’, McGrath said, “We said at the beginning of this World Cup that we are worried about Australia.”
He said, “Suddenly, that Australian aura is no longer there when other teams play…Unfortunately, it’s not surprising. You wonder what’s going on…It’s everywhere.”
Why was Steve Smith not with the team?
McGrath also criticized the national cricket team selectors for choosing Cameron Green over Steve Smith. The former cricketer questioned Green’s role in the team.
The rising cricketer, who is now a household name in T20 cricket, is a fast bowling all-rounder. During the T20 World Cup 2026 matches, Marsh used him mostly as a batsman, while making less use of his bowling ability.
For the T20 WC 2026 matches for the baggy green brigade, Cameron Green scored 21, 0 and 3 against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. And bowled at impressive figures of only 1/6 in the second game against Zimbabwe.
The legendary seamer said, if Green was only for batting then why did the selectors not choose Steve Smith for this role? McGrath rates Smith much higher than Green.
McGrath was critical, saying, “If he’s not bowling, what the selectors are saying is that he’s a better player than Steve Smith. If he’s not bowling, I can’t see how he’ll justify his place in that team.”
Mitchell Marsh also got injured
The team will have to play one more match to finish its group stage. On Friday, February 20, they will face Oman in their last match of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
It is worth noting that Mitchell Marsh was also injured and could not play some matches. He was not a part of their matches with Ireland and Zimbabwe. Travis Head was then their acting captain, under whose leadership the Australian team won against Ireland but lost against Zimbabwe, from where their decline began.
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