Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been sidelined from the upcoming three-match T20 International series against New Zealand. He sustained a fractured forearm during a bizarre training accident in Mount Maunganui. Cricket Australia confirmed the unfortunate news on Tuesday, announcing that wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe would replace the 36-year-old. Maxwell suffered the injury at Tauranga`s Bay Oval when he was struck on the wrist while bowling to Mitchell Owen in the nets. This fracture effectively rules him out of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy T20s, which are set to commence on Wednesday. He will now head home for a medical assessment to establish his recovery timeline.
Matthew Short, the recently recalled all-rounder, witnessed the incident unfold from an adjacent net. He described the moment: “I caught it out of the corner of my eye. We were training under a marquee, which made it quite echo-y and loud. I saw Owen hit it cleanly, and then the aftermath – it struck Maxi on the wrist. It sounded quite bad. Owen is certainly not the ideal batsman to bowl to in T20 training. Maxi has unfortunately experienced serious injuries a few times now; he was clearly disappointed but views it as just another setback. I`m confident he`ll recover.”
This injury marks another unfortunate interruption for Maxwell, who has faced a series of unlucky incidents, including a fractured leg from a birthday party accident three years prior and a concussion during the 2023 World Cup after falling from a golf cart. This summer, he had been in excellent form, having scored a rapid 73-ball century for Victoria in the One-Day Cup and an impressive unbeaten 62 off 36 deliveries in Australia`s most recent T20I match against South Africa.
Marcus Stoinis, making his return to the T20 squad after almost a year, emphasized the significance of these matches in preparation for next year`s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. He stated, “This series likely marks the beginning of our World Cup preparations. I believe the selectors have a clear vision for the team`s composition for the tournament, so it will be a valuable build-up for everyone. Playing New Zealand is always a tough but enjoyable challenge. They are a formidable team that consistently performs well in major tournaments, making this a highly anticipated series for us.”
Josh Philippe, stepping in for Maxwell, joins the squad in strong form, buoyed by recent impressive performances for Australia A, which included an unbeaten 123 and a half-century in India earlier this month. The 28-year-old, with 12 T20I appearances under his belt, last played for Australia in December 2023.
Maxwell`s injury further extends Australia`s list of unavailable key players. Earlier, Josh Inglis was withdrawn due to a calf strain, with Alex Carey named as his replacement. Pat Cummins is resting to recover from a back problem, Mitchell Starc has retired from T20 Internationals, and Cameron Green is currently participating in Sheffield Shield cricket to concentrate on his bowling comeback ahead of the Ashes series.
The T20 series against New Zealand is scheduled to commence on October 1st at Bay Oval, with the following matches taking place on October 3rd and 4th at the same location.
New Zealand Squad:
- Michael Bracewell (c)
- Mark Chapman
- Devon Conway
- Jacob Duffy
- Zak Foulkes
- Matt Henry
- Bevon Jacobs
- Kyle Jamieson
- Daryl Mitchell
- Rachin Ravindra
- Tim Robinson
- Ben Sears
- Tim Seifert
- Ish Sodhi
Australia Squad:
- Mitchell Marsh (c)
- Sean Abbott
- Xavier Bartlett
- Alex Carey
- Tim David
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Josh Hazlewood
- Travis Head
- Matt Kuhnemann
- Mitchell Owen
- Josh Philippe
- Matthew Short
- Marcus Stoinis
- Adam Zampa
