AUS v PAK 2019: Nic Maddinson pulls out of Australia A's clash with Pakistan due to mental health concerns

The news comes after Glenn Maxwell publicly admitted struggling with the issue himself.

Nic Maddinson | Getty

After Glenn Maxwell, Australia lost yet another talent to mental health difficulties in recent times when promising batsman Nic Maddinson opted out of the Australia A's clash with Pakistan, starting November 11. 

He also effectively ruled himself out of contention for the two World Test Championship fixtures against the visitors, beginning in Brisbane from November 21. 

Cameron Bancroft has been named Maddinson's replacement for the three-day affair in Perth. 

Read Also: Glenn Maxwell takes break from cricket to sort out "mental health difficulties"

"Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him," Australia A coach Graeme Hick was quoted as saying by AFP. "It is braver to speak up than to suffer in silence and I applaud Nic for having the courage to put his health first."

This opens up doors for batsmen like Travis Head and Will Pucovski, who himself earlier this year took leave from the game due to mental health concerns. 

With Maxwell having already taken an indefinite break, Cricket Australia’s head of sports science and medicine, Alex Kountouris, said the governing body was committed to better understanding mental health and supporting those needing help.

"Mental health is a challenge faced by Australian communities and elite sporting organisations and cricket is no different," he said. "Like other professional sports we are working very hard to better understand the challenges faced by our players and staff so we can support them."

The 27-year-old Maddinson has played three Tests and six T20Is for Australia previously. 

(Inputs from AFP)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 09 Nov, 2019

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