‘Ab kya hoga iss team ka’ – Fans react as Glenn Maxwell gets ruled out of South Africa T20Is due to ankle injury

Star Australia all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against South Africa due to a minor ankle injury. On Monday, August 28, Cricket Australia confirmed that Maxwell had suffered an injury in his left ankle.

The 34-year-old had missed cricket for the last few months after fracturing his fibula. The middle-order batter was set to miss the ODI series against South Africa for paternity leave. In the T20I series against Proteas, Men in Yellow would be without the likes of Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, and David Warner as well.

“We are taking a precautionary approach, given Glenn was heading home next week in any case. We will monitor Glenn’s recovery with a view to him being available for the three-match ODI series in India in advance of the World Cup,” national selector Tony Dodemaide said in a statement.

Wadey is a world-class performer and is fit and ready to go: Tony Dodemaide

The wicketkeeper-batter, Mathew Wade is set to replace the right-hand batter for the T20Is. The left-hand batter will join the squad ahead of Wednesday’s first match at Kingsmead. Wade has played a total of 75 T20Is since his international debut in 2011 for Australia.

Wade was a member of the Australian squad that went on to clinch the T20 World Cup in 2021. He led the Australian team in the recent T20I match against Australia in Adelaide. The hosts won this match by four runs. “Wadey is a world-class performer and is fit and ready to go, having this week completed his commitments with the London Spirit in The Hundred,” Dodemaide concluded.

Australia T20 squad to face South Africa: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Matthew Wade, and Adam Zampa.

Here is how fans reacted to Glenn Maxwell’s exclusion from the South Africa T20I series: