Published: Feb 12, 2020, 01:43 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 12, 2020, 01:45 PM (IST)
Australia suffered a major blow ahead of the upcoming limited-overs series against South Africa as all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is ruled out with an elbow injury on Wednesday. D’Arcy Short has been named as Maxwell’s replacement in both T20I and ODI squads for the six-match South Africa campaign, starting February 21 in Johannesburg. BBL’s ‘Player of the tournament’ Marcus Stoinis has once again been overlooked despite his heroics in the recently-concluded T20 competition.
As per the Cricket Australia report, the 31-year-old Maxwell will undergo surgery on his left elbow on Thursday in Melbourne. Leading his franchise Melbourne Stars, Maxwell reported an increase in pain during the second half of the BBL season. Stars finished as the runners-up after losing to Sydney Sixers in a closely-fought final by 19 runs at SCG.
Cricket Australia said he might require at least six to eight weeks to attain full match fitness, which means he is likely to miss the beginning of the IPL too, which is starting on March 29. Maxwell is a part of the Kings XI Punjab franchise in the Indian Premier League.
A ‘shattered’ Maxwell said the decision to withdraw from the South African tour was difficult. “I was not confident that I could perform at international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue,” Maxwell said in a statement.
Shattered to be missing the South Africa tour. I wish all the lads the best of luck over there and I’ll be watching from home!
Thanks for all the wishes of support ❤️ https://t.co/cQNqH7P7hm— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) February 12, 2020
“I would like to thank Justin Langer, Ben Oliver, Trevor Hohns and the whole Australian squad for their understanding.”
The South Africa tour was the first time Maxwell had been picked for national duties since taking a break from cricket in October due to mental health issues.
Australia’s national selector Trevor Hohns said Maxwell’s increased pain could not have been overlooked.
“We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20 and 50-over formats after his break during the summer,” Hohns was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
“Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.”
