Veteran paceman Brett Lee's World Twenty20 campaign is over before it even began with a forearm-muscle injury leading to Australian selectors calling-up fellow quick Ryan Harris.
Harris has stormed into contention after taking 14 wickets in eight games in the Indian Premier League which was staged in March-April.
While the international comeback bid of Lee, 33, has hit another major snag, Harris continues his rapid rise, breaking into one-day international cricket in 2009 and making his Test and T20 debuts in 2010.
Queensland's Harris will depart Brisbane on Thursday morning for the Caribbean. The 30-year-old beat a challenge from NSW left-armer Doug Bollinger who also had a successful IPL series and was named in Cricinfo's Best XI of the tournament.
"Ryan was very close to selection in the initial 15-man squad. He has been in excellent form for Australia in one-day and Test formats and during his recent stint at the IPL," Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hildtich said on Wednesday.
"We believe he is the ideal replacement for Brett being a right-arm swing bowler with a good ability to bowl at the death of an innings. His ability with the bat and in the field also adds extra versatility to our squad."
Lee broke down after taking 1-13 from four overs on Tuesday in St Lucia as Australia suffered a shock one-run loss to Zimbabwe.
The blond tearaway quick now requires specialist medical opinion back in Australia after missing last summer with elbow surgery which led him to retire from Test cricket, then having his IPL stint cut short by a fractured thumb.
"During yesterday's game against Zimbabwe Brett developed increasing right elbow pain and by the time he completed his final over the pain was significant," team physio Alex Kountouris said.
"At the conclusion of the innings it was obvious Brett had sustained an injury to one of the forearm muscles near the elbow and this was confirmed by a subsequent MRI scan.
"Due to the condensed nature of this tournament Brett will not recover in time to take any further part and has therefore been withdrawn from the squad.
"This is not a recurrence of the elbow injury that recently required surgery but a new injury that will require specialist opinion upon his return to Australia."
Michael Clarke's men were humbled by the under-resourced Africans who scrapped their way to 7-173 at St Lucia's Beausejour Stadium before restricting Australia to 7-172 from their 20 overs.
Australia's opening Group A clash is against world champions Pakistan in St Lucia on Sunday.
Zimbabwe opened their bowling attack with spinners Prosper Utseya (2-27 from four overs) and Ray Price (0-33) and used four slow bowlers.
Paceman Mitchell Johnson, who claimed 4-23, admitted the Australian batsmen struggled at times.
Australia are likely to recall aggressive hitter Cameron White, pace spearhead Shaun Tait and veteran batsman Mike Hussey for Thursday's second warm-up game against Windward XI.
The game ended in high drama before barely a hundred fans who sprang to life in support of Utseya's side with Australia needing 13 runs to win from the final over.
Run outs to Brad Haddin (13), Steve Smith (0) and Johnson (0) in the closing stages epitomised Australia's lack of poise in their run chase.
David Warner earlier smashed 72 off 49 balls including five sixes to be Australia's leading scorer and skipper Clarke paced the innings with 49 from 42 deliveries, falling in the last over.
Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura hit a crowd-pleasing 76 from just 35 balls including six sixes.
