Marcus Stoinis omitted as Glenn Maxwell pulls out of Australia’s South Africa tour
He was one of four standby players but when the call was made to replace Glenn Maxwell on the upcoming tour of South Africa, Marcus Stoinis was overlooked, with selectors opting for a ‘like-for-like’ choice.
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Glenn Maxwell has made the agonising and rare decision to personally stand himself down from Australia’s white ball tour of South Africa departing on Friday due to injury.
Maxwell will undergo elbow surgery after informing the Australian hierarchy in the past couple of days that he wasn’t confident he could perform at international level until the injury was rectified.
Big Bash player of the year Marcus Stoinis was overlooked as his replacement, with D’Arcy Short called up.
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Selectors had nominated four standby players for the South African tour, including the BBL’s best player – Stoinis.
However, in the end the more like-for-like skills of Short, who can also bowl off-spin were preferred to the explosive form of Stoinis.
It’s further evidence that selectors are only viewing Stoinis as a top three batsman, and didn’t feel he could replicate Maxwell’s role as well in the No.4 and 5 positions in both teams.
What makes Maxwell’s case extremely unique, is the fact Cricket Australia announced that he had nominated to stand down, as opposed to directing he’d been ruled out by medical staff, as is the norm for injuries.
Imaging scans revealed some loose fragments of bone in Maxwell’s elbow joint, which confirmed why he was visibly experiencing pain towards the end of the Big Bash.
Maxwell was “reviewed” by team doctor Richard Saw and a specialist surgeon in Melbourne, but the ultimate decision on at least the timing of surgery – would appear to have been Maxwell’s, with the star all-rounder declaring he was “shattered” to be missing his comeback tour.
Cricket Australia officials were made aware that Maxwell was struggling with his elbow last week, and after the pain intensified over the weekend, he was sent for further examination.
The medical diagnosis is clear, but it’s believed the news has been met with some mild frustration given the late change it’s forced upon the Twenty20 and 50-over plans against South Africa.
Maxwell said as hard as it was, he felt he had no choice but to make the gut-wrenching call, and thanked coach Justin Langer, high performance boss Ben Oliver and national selector Trevor Hohns and the whole playing squad “for their understanding.”
“Representing Australia is the highest honour in cricket and something I cherish,” Maxwell said.
“I was not confident that I could perform at international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue.”
Maxwell will miss six to eight weeks, ruling him out of the tour of South Africa, the upcoming white ball series against New Zealand in March, and possibly the start of the IPL.
The entertainment machine took a break due to mental health reasons at the start of the summer, and this was to be his comeback in international colours.
Hohns said the news was disappointing.
“We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20 and 50-over formats after his break during the summer,” said Hohns.
“Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.
“An opportunity has now presented itself for D’Arcy and we’re confident he’ll make the most of whatever opportunities come his way in South Africa.
“Like Glenn, D’Arcy is an inventive, hard-hitting batsman who offers a handy spin-bowling option. We have no doubt he will make a positive contribution to the squad.”
Originally published as Marcus Stoinis omitted as Glenn Maxwell pulls out of Australia’s South Africa tour
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