Glenn McGrath tears into Australia following T20 World Cup debacle: ‘That aura is no longer there’

Glenn McGrath didn't mince his words as he lambasted Australia following the side's early exit from the T20 World Cup.

Updated on: Feb 18, 2026, 15:30:32 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath didn't hold back, delivering a brutal assessment of the team's early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026. The Mitchell Marsh-led side crashed out of the 20-team tournament on Tuesday after the Group B match between Zimbabwe and Ireland was abandoned due to rain in Pallekele. Australia, the 2021 champions, faced back-to-back defeats against Zimbabwe and Sri Lankaand thus depended on Ireland beating Sikandar Raza's team.

Australia have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup. (AFP)

As soon as the match was called off without a single ball being bowled, Zimbabwe progressed to the Super 8s alongside Sri Lanka from Group B, while Australia were eliminated, marking the second time they were eliminated from the T20 World Cup in the group stage.

Also Read: Damien Martyn reminds Mohammad Kaif of reality after he flags mighty Aussies’ ‘sharp fall’

McGrath said the worrying signs were there from the start, after Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injury. He also stated that the aura around the Australian team is no longer, which is a worrying sign.

“We said at the start of this World Cup that we were concerned about Australia,” McGrath said while speaking on the YouTube show ‘The Fast Bowling Cartel’.

“All of a sudden, the aura of that Australian team is no longer there when other teams play it ... unfortunately, not surprising. You wonder what’s happening ... it’s all over the place," he added.

Cameron Green not spared

The highest wicket-taking fast-bowler for Australia in Tests was also quite critical of Cameron Green, saying if the all-rounder was not bowling, then he didn't deserve to be in the playing XI, and the management should have had Steve Smith from the get-go.

“If he’s not bowling, then what the selectors are saying is that he’s a better player than Steve Smith. If he’s not bowling, I just can’t see how he justifies a spot in that side,” McGrath said.

Green returned with scores of 21, 0 and 3 in the three matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He bowled only in the second game against Zimbabwe, returning figures of 1/6.

Australia's campaign in the T20 World Cup got worse even before the first ball was bowled as Mitchell Marsh suffered an injury scare, leading to him missing out on the games against Ireland and Zimbabwe. Travis Head stood in as the skipper. Australia won their opening match against Ireland, but lost against Zimbabwe.

Marsh returned for the match against Sri Lanka; however, his fifty did not make a difference as Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten century helped the co-hosts of the tournament chase down the target of 182 with eight wickets in hand and 12 balls to spare.

Australia will now face Oman in their final Group B game on Friday, February 20. The game would be inconsequential as both sides have already been knocked out of the competition.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.