Australia send SOS to Maxwell

Sydney - Big-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been called into Australia's Twenty20 side for the remainder of their three-match series against South Africa and will join the team before the second contest in Melbourne on Friday.

The 26-year-old Maxwell only returned from Australia's 2-0 Test series loss against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Australia were hammered by seven wickets in Wednesday's series opener in Adelaide and captain Aaron Finch said after the loss that Maxwell's addition to the side should give them more balance and make them more competitive.

The final match of the series is in Sydney on Sunday.