Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand owing to his back injury which he suffered during the West Indies series.
Allrounder Aaron Hardie has been called as Stoinis’ replacement for the New Zealand tour, commencing next week.
Stoinis got his back twisted ahead of the second T20I against West Indies, but he managed to partake in the match.
He scored 16 off 15 and was involved in a one-sided partnership of 80 runs with Glenn Maxwell, followed by three wickets with the ball.
However, he complained of back issues after reaching Perth, due to which he could not participate in the third T20I against West Indies and was then ruled out of the New Zealand tour.
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His replacement Hardie will join the squad in New Zealand ahead of the first T20I, scheduled to be played in Wellington on February 21.
Hardie has featured in seven T20Is for Australia since making his debut against South Africa last year.
He failed to impress so far as he scored a meagre 69 runs in six outings and picked three wickets.
However, he has a chance to prove himself and make a strong case for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup as the New Zealand series is the last for Australia before the mega-event.
Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis is expected to achieve full fitness before the IPL, which will be key to his ICC T20 World Cup preparations.
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