Daily Times

Spencer Johnson’s breakout 12 months is set to continue as he replaces the injured Nathan Ellis in Australia’s squad for the Twenty20 series with West Indies.

Selectors were keen to give Ellis more time to recover ahead of the upcoming multi-format tour of New Zealand, in which the paceman is expected to feature in the T20I series. The rib injury also ruled Ellis out of the recent one-day series with West Indies, in which three quicks played their first games for Australia in a new-look side.

Johnson’s recall comes after he made his international debut during August’s T20I tour of South Africa. The left-arm quick also joined the squad for the third match of this month’s ODI series against West Indies, though was not selected to make a second 50-over appearance for Australia.

Johnson, who had not appeared at Big Bash League or first-class level prior to 2023, was named player of the match after taking 4-26 for the victorious Brisbane Heat in last month’s BBL final. The former greens-keeper is joining Gujarat Titans for his first Indian Premier League campaign in the coming weeks, having been picked up at auction for $1.78m in December.

West Indies will hope to atone for a 3-0 ODI-series loss when the first of three T20Is is played in Hobart on Friday.

The series is set to mark David Warner’s first matches for Australia since he retired from ODI and Test cricket.

Hard-hitting allrounder Glenn Maxwell also returns to the international set-up for his first matches since being hospitalised after a night out in Adelaide last month.