Mark Waugh has described it as an 'insult' that Steve Smith was once again kept on the sidelines as Australia lost to Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup on Monday night to put them on the brink of elimination. Smith was added to Australia's 15-player squad on the eve of the game, and it looked like he was in line to play against Sri Lanka.

T20 World Cup 2026: The Australian selectors' questionable calls have come under scrutiny as Sri Lanka pushed them to the brink of elimination with an eight-wicket win.

Steve Smith shattered PSL records, becoming the most expensive player at PKR 14 crore for the Sialkot Stallions. The revamped 11th edition features a new auction system and two new franchises. Naseem Shah was the top Pakistani buy,

Steve Smith has been named in Australia's T20 World Cup squad ahead of their 2026 T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka. Smith will play in the shortest format for the national team after a gap of two years.

Steve Smith was in red-hot touch for Sydney Sixers in the BBL, and earns a return to the T20I team after a two-year absence from the format.

Young gun Cooper Connolly, dismissed for 3 (4) against Sri Lanka, has averaged 4.90 since he was named in the T20 World Cup squad, while he currently averages 4.67 in T20Is. Elsewhere, the big-hitting Tim David, who missed Australia’s tournament opener against Ireland with a hamstring issue, has contributed six runs across formats this year.

Steve Smith is technically no closer to playing in the T20 World Cup because ICC rules state a player can only be added from outside the squad if someone is ruled out for the rest of the tournament. And the Aussies might not be willing to rule out captain Mitch Marsh after just one game.