Marcus Stoinis ruled out of T20Is against New Zealand; Aaron Hardie named as replacement

Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand due to a back injury. According to a report by CODE Sports, the team management has named emerging all-rounder Aaron Hardie as a replacement for the team's final series prior to the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Stoinis suffered the injury during the warm-up of the second T20I against the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval on February 11. The blow was initially not deemed serious enough to keep him out of that particular contest in which he scored 16 runs off 15 deliveries and took three wickets as well.

However, the injury flared up ahead of the series finale, and he was ruled out of the third T20I in Perth. His absence now extends to the New Zealand tour as well. However, he will still be able to stake his claim in Australia's 2024 T20 World Cup squad, as he is expected to be fit in time for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) where he plays for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Prior to the home series against the West Indies, Stoinis was involved with the Durban's Super Giants and the Melbourne Stars in the SA20 and the Big Bash League (BBL) respectively. Although his batting returns have been mediocre, he has hit a purple patch when it comes to bowling. Stoinis has taken 15 wickets across his last seven short-format matches.

Aaron Hardie, who was not originally named in the squad for the New Zealand series, is currently playing a Sheffield Shield encounter for Western Australia in Hobart. He is expected to join the squad before the T20I series commences on Wednesday, February 21.

Apart from Stoinis, Australia will be without the services of Matthew Wade for the series opener

Veteran wicket-keeper Matthew Wade will be absent from the initial proceedings in New Zealand as he is expecting the birth of his third child. The vice-captain, however, is expected to feature in the remainder of the series, and potentially cement his place for his fourth T20 World Cup.

The Mitchell Marsh-led side features the return of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc after the duo were rested for the white-ball leg of the West Indies series. Pacer Nathan Ellis also returns after a rib injury that he sustained during the latter stages of the BBL campaign while playing for the Hobart Hurricanes.

Australia and New Zealand come into the series on the back of resounding series wins. In what was a high-scoring series, the Men in Yellow recently defeated West Indies, 2-1, while the Blackcaps dominated Pakistan en route to a 4-1 series win.