Marcus Stoinis Rulled out of the NZ tour, All-rounder Aaron Hardie called up
The all-rounder will miss the final series leading up to the World Cup because of a back ailment sustained against the West Indies.
Due to a back problem, Marcus Stoinis will miss Australia’s three-match Twenty20 International Series in New Zealand. Aaron Hardie, a fellow West Australian all-rounder, will be called up for Australia’s final series before the Twenty20 World Cup in June.
Due to the approaching birth of his third child, Australia’s vice captain and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade is also slated to miss the first game of the series on Wednesday in Wellington. However, he is anticipated to be available for the final two games in Auckland on Friday and Sunday.
Even though Stoinis injured his back during the second Twenty20 International against the West Indies in Adelaide on Sunday, he was still allowed to participate. While batting, he made 16 off of 15, but he also contributed to Glenn Maxwell’s 80-run stand by feeding him the strike. He then went on to take 3 for 36 to maintain his great bowling form.
He did not entirely address his back complaint, though, so he missed Tuesday’s third match against the West Indies and was later ruled out of the T20I series against New Zealand. This was after a lengthy travel to Perth. It is anticipated that Stoinis will be ready for the late-March start of the IPL.
Hardie did not travel with the team on Saturday since he is now representing Western Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Hobart. However, he will re-join the team before to the first game.
Although Stoinis was left off of the ODI team for the World Cup semifinal and final last year, he is still an important member of Australia’s T20I squad. He was a key member of Australia’s victorious team in the T20 World Cup in 2021, having saved matches against South Africa and Pakistan in the semifinals. Additionally, he struck a magnificent fifty-score against Sri Lanka at the Australia 2022 T20 World Cup. Having developed into a vital wicket-taker in the powerplay and middle overs over the past year, his bowling has been significant for Australia as well.
However, the Australian leadership and he continue to have concerns about his injury history. owing of his past, Australia has been hesitant to bowl him in back-to-back matches. He also missed games leading up to and during the ODI World Cup owing to a variety of soft tissue problems.
The other all-rounders for Australia are similarly plagued by specific injuries; both Maxwell’s broken leg from earlier in the series and captain Mitchell Marsh’s ankle require constant attention.
Matthew Short, an all-around spin bowler, is also carrying an injury cloud to New Zealand after missing the Twenty20 Internationals due to a minor hamstring strain he sustained during the ODI series against the West Indies.
In the event that Stoinis sustains more injuries during the actual competition, Hardie will have the opportunity to make a case for himself as a backup all-rounder who can bat in the middle of the order. Because Australia’s selectors wanted him to concentrate on the red ball before the New Zealand Test tour, Cameron Green was not thought to be called up for the New Zealand series. Green will then try to earn a spot on the World Cup team by playing the whole Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After playing in the New Zealand series, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins are Australia’s preferred backup quicks, and fast bowler Nathan Ellis is returned from a rib injury.
Although Abbott is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the last two Twenty20 Internationals against the West Indies, he and Jason Behrendorff remain on standby for the New Zealand series.
After taking a break during the West Indies series, Steven Smith and Travis Head both rejoin the T20 team for the New Zealand tour. As Australia looks to hone their finest team for the World Cup, they could expect to see multiple opportunities for each of the top three players.
