An ankle injury that Glenn Maxwell suffered during training has prevented him from taking part in the Twenty20 International series that will take place in South Africa. During the first training session for Australia, the player, who is 34 years old and has a metal plate on his left leg as a result of a fracture that occurred in November of last year, aggravated his ankle injury on the same limb.
The Australian selectors have therefore opted for a precautionary approach and are confident that he will be available for the three-match ODI series in India just prior to the World Cup. Selector Tony Dodemaide stated, “We will monitor Glenn’s recovery with an eye toward his participation in the three-match ODI series in India prior to the World Cup.”
Maxwell was scheduled to travel home for the birth of his first child, preventing him from being selected for the ODIs in South Africa. With the absence of Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, and David Warner, Australia will field a second-string T20I squad. Mitchell Marsh will serve as the team’s captain for the three-game series that begins on Wednesday, August 30.
Matthew Wade, whose career with the national team was in jeopardy after he did not play for the squad after the Twenty20 World Cup that was held in the United Kingdom the previous year, has been brought in as a substitute player.
Instead of choosing to include Wade in the first team, the selectors chose to give Josh Inglis the opportunity to compete in South Africa. However, according to the head selector George Bailey, Wade would have been chosen for the five-match Twenty20 International series in India regardless of the outcome of the One-Day International World Cup.
