Melbourne, Sep 2 Marcus Stoinis has been handed an opportunity to strengthen his case for selection in the upcoming T20 World Cup, earning a recall for Australia’s three-match series against New Zealand. However, hopes of Spencer Johnson stepping in as a like-for-like replacement for Mitchell Starc, who retired from the T20Is, appear slim.
Stoinis' push for T20 World Cup spot receives major boost after recall for NZ T20Is
Melbourne, Sep 2 Marcus Stoinis has been handed an opportunity to strengthen his case for selection in the upcoming T20 World Cup, earning a recall for Australia’s three-match series against New Zealand. However, hopes of Spencer Johnson stepping in as a like-for-like replacement for Mitchell Starc, who retired from the T20Is, appear slim.
Stoinis had previously reached an understanding with selectors to skip the recent T20Is against West Indies and South Africa in order to participate in the Hundred. Despite his absence from those series, he remains firmly in the World Cup conversation. He now returns to a squad missing Cameron Green, who will feature in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield as he works towards resuming full bowling duties.
Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis - who has become a key figure in Australia’s T20I pace setup - will also sit out of the New Zealand series, with his wife Connie expecting their first child. Though a contrasting style to Starc, Ellis is now considered a near-certain pick for the T20 World Cup following Starc’s retirement from the format.
"The latest update for Spencer is that it'll be sometime in the new year that he'll start to come back online again," chair of selectors George Bailey said. "What that looks like and at what point, I don't think there's anything definitive on that, still hoping that he can have an impact both domestically and potentially internationally towards the back end of the (season)."
Stoinis is expected to compete for a middle-order finishing role in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, with his medium pace offering valuable flexibility - especially given he has been deployed with the new ball in previous matches.
Spencer Johnson, seen as a potential long-term replacement for Starc in white-ball formats, is also set to miss out. The left-arm quick, who has taken 14 wickets in just eight T20Is, suffered a back injury during the IPL and has been ruled out for the remainder of the year. He was initially named for the West Indies series in July, but had to withdraw due to injury.
Meanwhile, Matthew Short returns to the national setup for the New Zealand series after recovering from a side strain that kept him out of the matches against the West Indies and South Africa. With a stacked batting order, the series will be a key opportunity for Short to push for a spot in the final World Cup squad.
The three T20Is against New Zealand will be played over four days -October 1, 3, and 4. Australia will then face India in a five-match T20I series at home, their final international assignment before the World Cup squad is finalised. However, the Big Bash League could serve as a last-minute platform for fringe players to make their case. Ahead of the global tournament, Australia are also scheduled to play three preparatory matches in Pakistan in early February.
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