The all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was ruled out of Australia’s tour of South Africa 2023 due to an ankle injury he sustained during his training session. Previously, he was fixed with a metal plate on his left leg after his fibula fracture in last November.
Matthew Wade replaces Maxwell in Australia’s SA tour
Australia’s tour of South Africa 2023 is set to begin on August 30, which features 3 T20Is and 5 ODIs. The Australian selectors were confident in Maxwell’s presence in the ODI series and the upcoming World Cup.
He was scheduled to return home for the birth of his first child during the T20I series which starts in Durban on Wednesday.
The Australian team will be playing the SA tour with the second-string squad with the likes of Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, and David Warner rested on the series. Mitchell Marsh will be captaining the side in the three-match series.
“We will monitor Glenn’s recovery with a view to him being available for the three-match ODI series in India in advance of the World Cup,” said selector Tony Dodemaide.
When asked about his injury, “Following scans, and on medical advice, it was determined to take a conservative approach,” said the team sources in media. “As a result, Maxwell has been ruled out of the three-match T20 series.”
“I’ll keep playing as long as people will have me until they think that someone is more deserving of my spot, which is fine,” Maxwell said. “Until then, I’ll keep plugging along. I still feel fit, I still feel young, especially with the role I play. I still try to hit it to hotspots on the field, I’m not hiding at all,” he concluded.
“Wadey is a world-class performer and is fit and ready to go,” said Dodemaide.
When Wade was too harsh on himself saying he wouldn’t get another chance to play for his nation, the selector George Bailey said, “He’s available. I think he might have thrown that one out a little bit early.”
“He’s one we do fully expect to come back into that T20 squad for the India series post the ODI World Cup.”
“When you have those young guys that come in, they might have success with their first game but a couple of games of failure, it’s really hard to come back from. Sometimes you just get used to failure as an older person and you can sort of have the resilience to come back from it.”
Australia T20 Squad for SA tour 2023
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
