Injury-hit Australia can still contend at World Cup, says Ellis

Injury-hit Australia limp into the T20 World Cup without leading fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood but Nathan Ellis says the team’s depleted attack can still carry the nation to glory.

Cummins pulled out with a back injury and Hazlewood lost a race to be fit after sustaining Achilles and hamstring injuries.

With Mitchell Starc having quit the format, Australia will be without all three of their top quicks for the first World Cup in over a decade.

Ellis, the default leader of a pace attack featuring Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, said the new trio would be able to cover for the loss of their more experienced teammates.

“We’ve had 18-24 months of cricket together where the big three haven’t been playing and have had big workloads in the test arena,” he told reporters on Monday.

“I actually think we work together really, really well.

“We’ve all got different skill-sets and can gel together on the night in different phases of the game.

“A squad without ‘Hoff’ (Hazlewood) and Cummo (Cummins) is a strong squad obviously but without them I feel like we’re just as well placed to go deep.”

Ellis will go into Australia’s opener against Ireland in Colombo on Wednesday without any recent match practice, having suffered a hamstring strain bowling for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

In his absence, Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in a warmup series against Pakistan.

Ellis has been used more as a specialist death bowler than a powerplay enforcer but conceded his role might need to change in the absence of Hazlewood.

“Obviously you have to take each game, conditions as they come. But losing one of the better white ball bowlers in the world in Hoff, things are always going to have to change,” he said.

“My role will try to be adaptable as much as I can.”