Injured Johnson out of Scotland, England T20Is; Abbott named replacement

Melbourne: Australia pacer Spencer Johnson has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Scotland and England in the UK after sustaining a side injury while playing for The Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

Cricket Australia has named Sean Abbott as the injured pacer’s replacement in the squad. Abbott was initially selected for the five-match ODI series against England.

In the recent The Hundred, Johnson picked only two scalps in six matches, however, he bowled a sensational spell of 1/10 against Northern Superchargers in his 20 deliveries.

Johnson, who quickly made a name for himself in the BBL with Brisbane Heat, has played five T20Is and one ODI since his debut against South Africa last year. He is considered a strong candidate to fill Mitchell Starc’s spot in the T20I squad.

Starc has been rested for the T20Is against Scotland and England but will participate in the ODIs. Pat Cummins will miss the entire tour, while Josh Hazlewood is included in both squads.

Abbott, with 15 T20I appearances, has been somewhat unlucky not to have featured more for Australia. He holds the record for the most wickets in BBL history with 165 and has also made an impact in The Hundred, taking nine wickets in seven matches for Birmingham Phoenix.

Xavier Bartlett, who made a splash in international cricket last season, and Nathan Ellis are the other main seamers in the T20I squad, alongside allrounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, and Marcus Stoinis.

Selectors are keeping an eye on the next T20 World Cup in 18 months, though they haven’t ruled out Starc or Cummins for the format.

Johnson’s goal is to recover in time for the start of the Australian domestic season, where he plays for South Australia. After the UK tour, Australia’s next T20Is are a three-match series against Pakistan in mid-November, which could offer Johnson another chance as the Test players will be unavailable due to the upcoming first Test in Perth.

Following the Pakistan series, Australia’s T20I schedule is set to resume next July in the West Indies.

Australia T20I squad vs Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

–IANS