Stoinis gets his chance to make T20 World Cup bid

Marcus Stoinis has a chance to push his claims for a place in the T20 World Cup after earning a recall for the three-match series against New Zealand, but Spencer Johnson's prospects of emerging as a replacement for Mitchell Starc appear slim with the quick bowler unlikely to be fit until early next year.

Stoinis came to an agreement with the selectors to miss the recent series against West Indies and South Africa in order to feature in the Hundred, but remains in the frame for the World Cup. He comes back into a squad that will be without Cameron Green, who instead will play in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield as he progresses towards a bowling return.

Nathan Ellis, who has become a fulcrum of the T20I pace attack, will also miss the New Zealand trip with wife Connie expecting their first child. Although Ellis is a very different type of bowler to Starc, he is now set to be a certain starter at the World Cup following the latter's T20I retirement.

Stoinis will likely be vying for a middle-order finishing role if he is to make the World Cup squad, although his medium pace also provides a handy option and has been used with the new ball.

Starc is a major name who definitely won't be at the tournament. Johnson, another left-arm quick, had been earmarked as a successor particularly in white-ball cricket - he has taken 14 wickets in eight T20Is - but a back injury sustained at the IPL will keep him sidelined for the rest of the year. Johnson was initially named in the squad for the West Indies in late July before being withdrawn.

"The latest update for Spencer is that it'll be sometime in the new year that he'll start to come back online again," chair of selectors George Bailey said. "What that looks like and at what point, I don't think there's anything definitive on that, still hoping that he can have an impact both domestically and potentially internationally towards the back end of the year."

Matthew Short is back from injury for the New Zealand tour in what shapes as an important series for him to find a spot in a power-packed batting line-up after having missed the West Indies and South Africa series with a side strain.

The three matches in New Zealand take place across four days on October 1, 3 and 4. Australia will play a further five T20Is against India at home which will be their last series before selecting the World Cup squad, although the BBL may provide a late opportunity for fringe players to stake a claim. Australia are set to prepare for the tournament with three matches in Pakistan in early February.

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa