New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell ruled out the chance of him joining the Test team, saying that he has full confidence in the squad to play well in the last two matches in Indore and Ahmedabad despite them being 2-0 behind in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
On Thursday, Maxwell was named in Australia’s squad for the three-match ODI series against India starting on March 17 in Mumbai. It will be his first series in international cricket since breaking his left leg in a freak accident just after Australia’s campaign in the Men’s T20 World Cup ended last year.
“I might have been a chance (to be selected originally for the Test tour) but as it so happened probably didn’t have any sort of chance once I did my injury. I needed to be back playing cricket before then and proving my full fitness, but I suppose that’s history now.”
“We’ve just got to try to support those guys now. I think there’s still a fair bit for me to do before I’m ready to be available for them (Tests). But I’ve got full faith in the guys over there to really play well and take it to India,” he said to SEN Radio.
Asked about chances of him playing in the Ashes in June-July, Maxwell, who played his first Sheffield Shield match in three years earlier in the week, said, “I’m pretty realistic about my opportunity to play in the Ashes.”
Maxwell also revealed he was not yet back to full fitness but is anticipating ramping up his fitness levels in the coming weeks before he leaves for India to play in the ODI series. “To get through that first game and at the end of it feel really confident heading forward that I can withstand the rigours of a game of cricket. I’m making good strides and hopefully back to 100 per cent soon.”
“I’ve got a fairly busy schedule coming up. I’m going to play club cricket on Saturday and hopefully the next Shield game in Albury against New South Wales. There’s a bit of cricket still to go before I head off to India…there’s a full off-season for me, hopefully, it’s all a really good lead into the ODI World Cup at the backend of the year.”
Maxwell will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2023 IPL, followed by featuring for Warwickshire in the T20 Blast in England, and for London Spirit in The Hundred, before getting back to the Australian team for the ODI World Cup in India to be held in October and November.
–IANS
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