In a significant development following Australia's shocking exit from the T20 World Cup, head coach Andrew McDonald has placed the blame squarely on the players, rejecting claims of inadequate preparation and prioritization of the tournament. Australia, the defending champions, faced a humiliating group stage exit after losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, failing to qualify for the Super Eight phase. McDonald stated, "I have heard that sort of narrative that T20 World Cups don’t matter to us. I think all that is a response to the performances of Australian cricket teams in these competitions," emphasizing that the team had been "fully locked into (it) for a period of time". Despite missing key players like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood due to injuries, McDonald insisted that the available squad was capable of better performance, saying, "It shouldn’t be about the players that we’re missing... we’re disappointed in those [performances]."