Australia pacer Spencer Johnson has been named as the last minute replacement for Marcus Stoinis in AUS vs NZ T20I series. This would be a golden opportunity for the pacer in the side’s only bilateral T20I series before the T20 World Cup 2024.
AUS vs NZ: Johnson replaces injured Stoinis
Stoinis is ruled out of the T20I series after failing to recover from a back injury he picked up in the series against WI.
“Stoinis’ injury is expected to recover quickly, although not in time for this series,” CA said in a statement.
The Australian all-rounder picked up the back injury in AUS vs WI 2nd T20I. Despite the issue, he went on to play a crucial role with both bat and ball in the game. However, he fails to recover from the injury even after the 3rd T20I and is subsequently ruled out of the tour to New Zealand.
The series against the Kiwis will be their last T20I tournament before the T20 World Cup 2024 in June. Stoinis is an integral part of Australia’s shortest-format setup. He was a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2021. He has a history of injuries which most recently surfaced at the ODI World Cup 2023.
Australia’s T20 squad to tour New Zealand: Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Aaron Hardie, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa