All-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out of Australia's upcoming South Africa tour due to an injury on Wednesday (February 12).
He has been replaced by D'Arcy Short in the national squad for the tour, the Cricket Australia has confirmed the same in a statement on Wednesday.
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He hasn't played for Australia since October 2019 after taking a mental health break during the Sri Lanka series but was to play for Australia in both the T20I and ODI series in South Africa. Unfortunately, he had to put on hold his comeback to undergo surgery on his elbow on Thursday (February 13).
It is being said that the all-rounder had played with pain in his elbow throughout the Big Bash League 2020 for the Melbourne Stars but excessive pain forced him to see a specialist surgeon after the BBL 09 final.
Maxwell was later assessed by the Cricket Victoria's doctor as well as Australian team doctor Richard Saw and a specialist surgeon in Melbourne, where scans revealed loose fragments of bone within his elbow joint which needs surgery.
Now, the 31-year-old will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday that will see him sidelined for the next six-to-eight weeks, which means he will miss the limited over series against South Africa comprising 3 T20Is and as many as ODIs starting February 21.
Australian selector Trevor Hohns said of Maxwell, “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.”
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He added, “Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the (Big Bash) increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.”
Meanwhile, the right-hander was also disappointed to stand down from the South Africa tour, but he wants to quickly fix the issue by having surgery this week.
Maxwell said in a CA statement, “Representing Australia is the highest honor in cricket and something I cherish. I was not confident that I could perform at the international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue.”
He signed off by saying, “I would like to thank Justin Langer, Ben Oliver, Trevor Hohns and the whole Australian squad for their understanding.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
