MAXWELL: I’M READY FOR ENGLAND SHOWDOWN
GLENN Maxwell is “mentally ready” for his return to international cricket in England and says there’s no reason he won’t travel on to the Indian Premier League for a $2 million payday with the tournament now likely to start in late September.
The cancellation of the T20 World Cup, scheduled for October and November in Australia, has opened the door for the biggest T20 competition in the world where 17 Australians will earn more than $17 million.
Confirmation is expected from Indian officials later this week, with the tournament likely to be staged in the UAE as India continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
With quarantine restrictions being imposed around the world, Maxwell conceded there was no certainty, a sentiment echoed by interim CA boss Nick Hockley who said it was “premature” to talk about the IPL going ahead.
Maxwell said he was extremely disappointed at missing out on a home World Cup having seen the Australian women enjoy an MCG victory in March.
But the white ball star, who has been back in training for two months with Victoria, said he would be “pretty excited” if the IPL, where he has a $2.19 million deal with the Kings XI Punjab, could fill that void.
“Any time you have a home World Cup you are certainly looking forward to it,” he said.
“We felt like we had been building towards it as a T20 side.”
Maxwell has been recalled to a 26-man Australian squad for a sixmatch tour of England, having been overlooked during the home summer after stepping away from the game last October. His last game was the Big Bash final, which his Melbourne Stars lost in February.