Australia's Litchfield and Gardner miss T20 World Cup clash vs Bangladesh in 2026

Phoebe Litchfield and Ash Gardner are sidelined as Australia face Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup with Grace Harris and Megan Schutt replacing them.

Injured stars ruled out Phoebe Litchfield will not play against Bangladesh or the next two fixtures after aggravating an acute quad injury during Australia's opening match against South Africa. Ash Gardner also missed the game due to an acute ankle inversion injury. Cricket Australia confirmed Litchfield's injury was unrelated to the one that forced her to skip the warm-up matches before the tournament. ## Australia's lineup changes At Leeds, Australia opted to bowl first in the morning match under sunny skies. In came Grace Harris and Megan Schutt to fill the gaps left by the injured duo. Litchfield had starred in the opener, scoring 50 off 24 balls to rescue Australia from 24 for 2, while Gardner contributed with 1 wicket for 16 runs in her three overs during the 65-run victory. ## Molineux's hopes and pitch insights Sophie Molineux, Australia's captain, expressed optimism that Litchfield could return for the final league fixture against India on June 28. She also noted the seamers might gain early advantage in the Bangladesh game, which started at 10:30am local time, as overcast conditions and a pitch kept covered all day could aid bowling. A quick outfield, however, was expected to benefit the batters as the match progressed. ## Bangladesh's tactical adjustments Bangladesh made two changes from their opening win over the Netherlands, who played India in the day's second match at the same venue. Nahida Akter and Sultana Khatun replaced Fariha Trisna and Sanjida Akter, swapping a fast bowler for a spinner in their XI to bolster the spin department. ## Confirmed starting XIs Australia: 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Georgia Voll, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Grace Harris, 5 Georgia Wareham, 6 Nicola Carey, 7 Annabel Sutherland, 8 Sophie Molineux (capt), 9 Kim Garth, 10 Alana King, 11 Megan Schutt Bangladesh: 1 Dilara Akter, 2 Juairiya Ferdous, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt, wk), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Ritu Moni, 8 Nahida Akter, 9 Rabeya Khan, 10 Sultana Khatun, 11 Marufa Akter