Sydney: Michael Hussey has opted out of Australia's upcoming tour of Ireland and England due to the birth of his fourth child. Peter Forrest has been named his replacement.

"Due to the premature birth of Mike Hussey's fourth child, Cricket Australia (CA) supports Mike's request to remove himself from this tour for family reasons," said CA executive general manager of team performance, Pat Howard.

Hussey said: "Due to our baby being born three months early, it is important for the family for me to be here at this time. It is always difficult to miss any tour for Australia and I thank CA for their understanding of our family's situation."

The team leaves for the tour Thursday. Australia are scheduled to play a one-off One-day International (ODI) in Belfast, Ireland June 23 before moving to England for the five-match ODI series starting June 29. (IANS)