Australia has selected a left-arm bolter for the upcoming limited overs tour of South Africa.
Spencer Johnson, who has played just four First Class games and six List A matches, will be named in the national squad for the three T20s when Cricket Australia unveils its touring party on Monday.
Australia is scheduled to play three T20s against the Proteas on August 30, September 1, and September 3, before five further ODIs.
The World Cup squad will then fly to India for three more ODIs against the host nation, before official warm up games. Australia’s World Cup campaign begins on October 8.
SEN.com.au understands Johnson’s selection is for the T20 component of the tour only at this stage, though he is in the frame for the ODI World Cup if Mitchell Starc – the other frontline left-armer – is injured.
Johnson, 27, has enjoyed a meteoric rise across the last 12 months.
From relative obscurity, he toured New Zealand at the end of the Australian summer with the Australia A team.
This followed a breakout Big Bash tournament for the Brisbane Heat, where he took nine wickets and bowled several high quality spells with swing and pace.
In more recent times, Johnson – who is seen as a natural successor to Starc – played for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the USA and Surrey Jaguars in England.
ESPNCricinfo reported in February that Johnson would play for Italy in the recently completed World Cup qualifiers, though it’s believed the Indian-owned Los Angeles Knight Riders refused to grant him permission to represent the country where his grandfather was born.
"He's dead keen," captain-coach Gareth Berg told ESPNcricinfo before Los Angeles squashed any hopes of Johnson’s participation.
"He's going to be a huge boost for us. It's always nice to have someone that can bowl close to 150 clicks at that level. He's had quite a tough time with injuries but he's coming back pretty strong now. He's raring to get involved in July."
Italy finished third behind Ireland and Scotland, just outside the qualification cut-off.
Cricket Australia will rest key players from the white ball tour of South Africa given the three-week turnaround between the gruelling drawn Ashes series and the upcoming eight white ball matches against the Proteas.
The objective of the series is partly to prepare for the ODI World Cup in India, and partly to give opportunities to players who have not received much exposure in the international arena.
Though Johnson will be left out of the initial ODI squad, he is only one injury away from selection for the showpiece event.
Meanwhile, there is likely to be no formal decision on a long-term replacement in the T20 arena for captain Aaron Finch, who retired late last year.
Mitch Marsh, Travis Head and Alex Carey are widely seen as the favourites to lead in the interim, though gloveman Josh Inglis was preferred to Carey the last time Australia played a T20 international.
Johnson is highly rated by Jason Gillespie in South Australia and in April penned a fresh three-year deal with the Redbacks.
Queensland chased him aggressively, but he stayed loyal to South Australia. He still has one more season remaining on his deal with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.
Though Australia’s selectors see him more as a white ball option in the short term, his red ball record is exceptional, albeit from a small sample size.
Johnson has taken 20 wickets in four matches, with best figures of 7-47 and a six-wicket haul on debut against Victoria.
AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA, 2023
Aug 30 (Durban) – T20
Sep 1 (Durban) – T20
Sep 3 (Durban) – T20
Sep 7 (Bloemfontein) – ODI
Sep 9 (Bloemfontein) – ODI
Sep 12 (Potchefstroom) – ODI
Sep 15 (Centurian) – ODI
Sep 17 (Johannesburg) – ODI
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