Canberra: Left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson has replaced injured Nathan Ellis in Australia's T20I squad for three-match series against West Indies at home, starting from February 9.
Ellis, who was included in the first 16 member squad suffered a rib injury after landing on the ball during Hobart Hurricanes' last group-stage match against Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash season 13.
However, The right-arm pacer is expected to be fit to feature in three T20Is against the Kiwis and was also named in the squad for the New Zealand tour, scheduled to begin from February 21. This will be Australia’s last T20I series before the much anticipated T20I World Cup which will be held in June in West Indies and USA.
George Bailey, the chairman of selection committee said, "The next six games will provide us the opportunity to start shaping what we think our World Cup squad will look like and potential roles within that. We will also fully utilise the opportunity to monitor and watch the performances of the Australian players in the IPL immediately preceding the World Cup."
Johnson has already made his debut against South Africa in August 2023 after an exceptional performance in The Hundred, England's domestic league. Later, he received a jaw-dropping ₹10 Crore deal from Gujrat Titans in Indian Premier League auction in December and guided Brisbane Heat to emerge triumphant in BBL 13.
The left-arm pacer had made a relatively decent start to his T20I career, claiming two wickets in two matches at an economy rate of 8.26. But then he missed the five-match T20I series against India away from home after sustaining a hamstring injury.
The 28-year-old would be keen to strengthen his case for the T20I World Cup in an unavailability of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Earlier, he was added as a cover for Kangaroos’ third ODI against West Indies in Canberra, and will continue to travel with the team to Hobart for the T20I series opener.
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