Australia have been dealt a big blow ahead of the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. All-rounder Aaron Hardie has been ruled out of the series and Spencer Johnson has been roped in as his replacement. Interestingly, Hardie was not a part of the squad that was picked earlier and had only made it to the line-up as Marcus Stoinis' replacement who sustained a back injury.
A minor calf issue in the ongoing Sheffield Shield season in Australia has ruled Hardie out of the New Zealand T20Is which also puts his place in question for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Hardie was scheduled to fly to Wellington on Monday (February 19) morning but his callf injury cropped up over the weekend ruling him out of the participation for Australia.
"He's got a tight calf. It's more precautionary. He'll bat if required tomorrow. Hopefully, it's nothing too significant," Western Australia coach Adam Voges said according to ESPNCricinfo as Hardie was due to leave in the middle of a first-class encounter against Tasmania.
Meanwhile, Spencer Johnson has fared decently in limited matches for Australia so far and he will be keen on staking a claim in the World Cup squad. He is also scheduled to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, Australia will also miss their wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade in the first T20I in Wellington as he is yet to travel to the Kiwi nation and is awaiting the birth of his first child.
As for Australia, their pace trio that won the ODI World Cup - Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins - have returned for this series while Nathan Ellis is next in the pecking order who is also coming back from a rib injury.
