Australia have rested Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Marsh for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa and India in a bid to keep them fresh and ready for the Test series against India.
As a result of these absentees, Marcus Stoinis and seamer Jason Behrendorff will be part of the squad led by Aaron Finch.
Australia's T20 squad vs SA and India: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa
"We welcome Marcus Stoinis and Jason Behrendorff back into the T20 squad for the upcoming matches against South Africa and India," head coach and national selector Justin Langer said.
"Marcus missed our recent T20 matches in the UAE because he hadn't resumed bowling, but now he's back to full fitness he'll add great depth to the squad. Marcus is such a versatile player, he's a powerful middle-order batsman and he provides us with another solid bowling option," he added.
Behrendorff, who made an impressive T20I debut against India in Guwahati with a 4-wicket haul, has had a long-standing issue with injuries but is now very much a part of Australia's scheme of things.
He earned a contract with Mumbai Indians last season, but the chronic back troubles never allowed him to make his debut with the franchise. The seamer returned to action earlier this season, claiming five wickets from two List A games for Western Australia. In the recent tour game against South Africa, he picked up 3 for 35.
"Jason Behrendorff has also earned a spot in the squad after returning to full fitness. It was exciting to see him bow well in the JLT Cup and in the recent Prime Minister's XI match, and it gave us more evidence of how devastating he can be with the new ball. Tactically we believe it's important to have a good left-arm swing bowler at our disposal for the four matches," Langer said.
Australia are slated to play a one-off T20I against South Africa at Carrara Oval in Queensland on November 17 before they take on India in a 3-match T20I series, with games at Brisbane (November 21), Melbourne (November 23) and Sydney (November 25).
