Australian all-round Marcus Stoinis has been ruled out of his nation's pair of T20 fixtures against the West Indies in Queensland due to a side strain.
Stoinis has been battling the ailment since September, missing white-ball matches against New Zealand and India to only further frustrate the big-hitting middle-order star.
His ongoing side strain issue will now see Stoinis miss this week's two matches against the West Indies on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, with the 33-year-old ruled out of Australia's squad for the short series.
Stoinis will remain in his home city of Perth ahead of Australia's three-game T20I series against England, which will begin at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The following two matches will take place in Canberra, and will be Stoinis' last chance to prove his fitness and form ahead of this month's T20 World Cup on home soil.
The red-hot run of fellow all-rounder Cameron Green has placed some uncertainty over Stoinis' selection prospects, with even a hindered star seen as too much risk for Andrew McDonald to consider.
The addition of potential emerging talent Tim David may also force Australia to go without Stoinis for the tournament, where they will be looking to defend their title.
Veteran opener David Warner is expected to return to Australia's lineup to face the West Indies, adding further selection headaches given Green's stellar run atop the order alongside Aaron Finch.
Australia will announce their XI ahead of Wednesday's T20 at Metricon Stadium, which will commence at 7:10 (AEST).
