Maxwell faces elbow surgery, Short called in for Proteas tour

Australia have suffered an injury blow for the upcoming Qantas Tour of South Africa with allrounder Glenn Maxwell ruled out to undergo surgery on his left elbow.

Western Australia's D'Arcy Short will replace Maxwell in both the T20I and ODI squads for the six-match South African campaign, with reigning KFC BBL Player of the Tournament Marcus Stoinis overlooked.

Maxwell will have surgery on the joint on Thursday in Melbourne. The Melbourne Stars captain had been carrying the injury for the back-end of the BBL|09 season that his side finished as runners-up.

Maxwell reported an increase in pain and scans revealed some loose bone fragments in the joint that prompted the decision to have surgery.

The operation and subsequent recovery is set to sideline the 31-year-old for six to eight weeks, but he is expected to be available the Indian Premier League with franchise Kings XI Punjab, who acquired Maxwell for more than $2 million at last year's player auction.

The South Africa tour was the first time Maxwell had been selected for national duties since taking a break from cricket in October to focus on his mental health.

He returned refreshed and relaxed in time for the BBL, where he lit up the early stages of the tournament with the runaway Stars.

But his rampaging form came to a halt late last month as the Stars lost four on the bounce, including the Qualifying Final against Sydney Sixers, without passing 20 in five completed innings.

Australia's National Selector Trevor Hohns said Short was one of four players put on standby when the touring party was first named.

"We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20- and 50-over formats after his break during the summer.

"Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.

"An opportunity has now presented itself for D'Arcy and we're confident he'll make the most of whatever opportunities come his way in South Africa.

"Like Glenn, D'Arcy is an inventive, hard-hitting batsman who offers a handy spin-bowling option. We have no doubt he will make a positive contribution to the squad."

Maxwell said the decision to stand down from the South African tour was difficult but was worried he would not be at his best for international cricket.

"I was not confident that I could perform at international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue," Maxwell said in a statement.

"I would like to thank Justin Langer, Ben Oliver, Trevor Hohns and the whole Australian squad for their understanding."

Replacing the Victorian is Short, who was a member of Australia's ODI tour to India in January after being called in as an injury replacement for NSW quick Sean Abbott.

In nine BBL matches for Hobart Hurricanes this summer, Short scored 357 runs at a strike rate of 131.25 with a high score of 103no against Perth Scorchers.

The left-arm wrist-spinner also picked up six wickets for the tournament, capturing a career-best haul of 5-21 in Hobart's win over Sydney Thunder.

But those numbers, while impressive, pale in comparison to the figures posted by Stoinis this BBL tournament.

Stoinis set a new record for the most runs in a single BBL season, amassing 705 runs, while posting the highest individual score in the competition's nine-year history, a brutal 147no at the MCG.

When Australia's squad for the 50-over tour of the subcontinent was named, national selector Trevor Hohns said Stoinis was a standby player, while three others had also been given the nod in the background to keep themselves ready. 

"(Stoinis) was unlucky to miss out due to the makeup of the current top order," Hohns said at the time.

"It is terrific to have a backup player of his calibre in such good form."

Selectors instead went for the closest possible like-for-like replacement for Maxwell, with captain Aaron Finch, David Warner and Steve Smith all locks in the top three where Stoinis dominated for the Stars.

Australia's Qantas Tour of South Africa 2020

Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitch Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

First T20: February 21 at Johannesburg. 3am AEDT (Feb 22), Fox Cricket & Kayo

Second T20: February 23 at Port Elizabeth 11.30pm AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Third T20: February 26 at Cape Town. 3am AEDT (Feb 27), Fox Cricket & Kayo

First ODI: February 29 at Paarl (D/N). 10pm AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Second ODI: March 4 at Bloemfontein (D/N). 10pm AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Third ODI: March 7 at Potchefstroom. 7pm AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo