Steve Smith out of Australia's white-ball tour of Pakistan through injury

The batsman has been replaced in the squad by leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson

Steve Smith will miss Australia's white-ball matches against Pakistan as a precaution as he nurses a minor elbow injury.

Smith, 32, will fly back to Australia and not risk the niggle in the three ODIs and one-off T20 over the next 10 days.

The batsman has been replaced in the squad by leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson.

"It's disappointing to miss these matches against Pakistan but after chatting with the medical staff, I can see the need to take a break at this time," said Smith.

^{Steve Smith will miss the white-ball games in Pakistan (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)}

"I do not regard this as a major issue but by staying on top of things now, we can ensure that it doesn't become something more significant further down the line."

Senior Cricket Australia medic, Alex Kountouris, said: "Steve has been experiencing some minor discomfort in his left elbow during the latter stages of the Test series in Pakistan.

"Given he had an injury with the same elbow last year, we felt it important to manage this proactively.

"Withdrawing him from the white ball matches means Steve will have the necessary time to rehabilitate his elbow to ensure his continuing availability and performance for Australia."

The ODI series is due to begin in Lahore on March 29, with further 50-over fixtures scheduled for March 31 and April 2.

The trip, which started with an Australia Test series victory, will concluded with the T20 on April 5.

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