Spencer Johnson Awaits Back Scan Results to Determine BBL and T20 World Cup Fate

Australia is currently sweating over the injury of Pat Cummins, as he is their leader and main bowler for the upcoming Ashes series. However, another injury scare is brewing at the back end in the form of Spencer Johsnon. He too suffered a stress fracture during the IPL, which made Australia nervous about whether he could participate in the BBL or the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026. 

The extent of Johnson’s injury was unknown earlier, as he was not seen in the Australian T20I squad that played against West Indies and South Africa recently. This surprising news was revealed when chair of selectors George Bailey described the severity of Johnson’s injury back in September.

Attending a recent BBL kit launch event, Spencer Johnson looked confident that he could recover before the start of the tournament. However, he said that a cautious approach would be taken before making any final decision about participating in the starting matches.

"The back, to be honest, feels fine. Stressies are one of those things where they feel good, but it's just just a waiting game. I've got a scan in over the next couple of days, and pending that result, we'll be able to find out hopefully a return to play there. I think it should be around the Big Bash in some capacity, whether it's at the start or manage  through that. It's frustrating, but it is what it is," said Spencer Johnson.

When Johnson started to feel discomfort in the IPL, he neglected it with the thought that it could be a minor back issue. However, when he got back to Australia to prepare for the West Indies T20I series, he noticed that the discomfort has increased over time. It was then that he decided to go for a scan, which ultimately revealed a major stress fracture.

"I started to get a bit of back discomfort, and sort of wasn't too bad, because I was only really training at that stage. And when I got back to Australia, I was trying to build-up for the T20 series in the West Indies. I think just the increased load stirred it up a little bit a little bit more. And we got a scan, and unfortunately, there was a stress [fracture] there. A little bit uncommon for a 29-year-old,” said Spencer Johnson.

The Australian pacer also said that earlier analysis made it look like an old fracture; however, the new scans revealed that it is actually a fresh one.

"It's a bit of a strange one, because initially they thought it was an old fracture that had just sort of scarred and then I think more recently the more scans we've done, they've thought it's probably a fresher one," said Spencer Johnson.

The left arm pacer said that having an injury at this time is not ideal at all. With the call of BBL and T20 World Cup in 2026 looming around, he wants to get fit as soon as possible to increase his chances of selection. Currently, competition within the Australian squad is getting tougher by the day, as many players are putting their hands up with impressive performances to earn a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

"It's never a great time being injured. Unfortunately, especially this calendar year, there's plenty of white-ball cricket. Regardless of the back, I was planning on staying here in the winter and making sure this summer was a big one, hopefully for Australia. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. But there's still plenty of cricket to play post Christmas and a T20 World Cup, and something I'd love to be a part of," said Spencer Johnson.

Australia is slated to play ODIs and T20Is against India in the upcoming home series. Spencer Johnson was earlier aiming to be a part of those series. However, with the injury concern lingering on, he just has to wait to regain the full fitness that is required for the international fixtures.