AUS vs BAN: Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell played a superhuman knock in a win for the ages when Australia took on Afghanistan in their 8th match of World Cup 2023 in Mumbai on November 7. With the Aussies almost out of the contest, Maxwell played arguably the greatest knock in the ODI history despite battling injury issues. His 201-run unbeaten knock propelled the Aussies to a three-wicket win and a place in the World Cup semifinals. However, his participation in his team's game against Bangladesh is under threat.
Maxwell is recovering from that physically exhausting knock in the Afghanistan clash where he battled not only the famous spin quartet of the opposition but also the cramps and back spasms in his 128-ball stay in the middle. As Australia face Bangladesh in their final league stage match at the MCA Stadium in Pune, one would expect the Aussies to rest the star all-rounder for the semifinals.
The all-rounder did not practice on the eve of the match and that has raised doubts over his participation in the Pune clash. Coaches Daniel Vettori and Andrew McDonald have given updates on the star player. Speaking on the eve of the game, spin-bowling coach Vettori said that Maxwell is in recovery mode. "He's definitely been in full recovery mode the last few days. I think we all saw the effects of the innings and in particular the heat. So, I think today's a big day, see how he pulls up. But obviously, we've had a couple of days off so there's been no training. He's not here today but we'll just see how he sort of feels as the day continues on but it's obviously been pretty hectic for him the last few days," the former New Zealand star said.
He added that Maxwell will not need to give any fitness test as he has a record of bouncing back. "I think it'll be how he feels - I don't think it'll be a fitness test scenario. We understand that obviously now that the semi-final is pretty definitive in Kolkata on the 16th, that it will be a build towards that. I think he does have a track record of being able to bounce back pretty quickly, even with some time away from the game," he said.
Notably, Australia's head coach had also spoken on the star all-rounder two days ago from the contest, claiming both Maxwell is in line to play the Bangladesh game. "At this stage yes, I've got no information to suggest otherwise. It's not quite 48 hours post (match) so that'll unfold more tomorrow (Friday). We'll assess him tomorrow. He'll probably have a light run. If he's not at training tomorrow, then he needs more time to recover. And then it might be a day of the game decision, but everything lends itself to him playing at this stage," McDonald said recently
