Injured Maxwell targeting India tour
GLENN Maxwell is not giving up hope of being fit and picked for Australia’s Test tour of India in February and is hoping to return from a broken leg before the end of the BBL.
Melbourne Stars coach David Hussey revealed the bold hope for his injured captain, who suffered a compound fracture to the lower leg at a 50th birthday party last weekend.
The injury required surgery for the 34-year-old, who had been doing secret red-ball training sessions and planned to play two Sheffield Shield games to push his claims for a call-up to the Test team.
Maxwell narrowly missed a return to the Test side in Sri Lanka and was next man in twice when Travis Head overcame fitness issues in Galle.
Despite reports he could be spending as much as three months recovering from the injury, Maxwell was not giving up on the tour of India, Hussey said.
“I think that’s at the back of his mind,” he said on Wednesday. “No dates have been set for his comeback, but speaking to Glenn directly, he’s pretty hopeful of being back at the end of the BBL and then targeting the Indian Test tour.
“There’s a few goals for him to obtain and that makes the rehabilitation all the more focused.”
The Stars begin their BBL campaign on December 13, with games until their last home and away match on January 25 next year.
Hussey conceded Maxwell was nearly impossible to replace and said he’d even sent a cheeky message to Australian star Steve Smith, who doesn’t have a Big Bash contract, to gauge his interest.
“He’s arguably one of the top five all-time T20 players. He’s going to be rather difficult to replace,” Hussey told RSN.