No set timetable for Glenn Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Nic Maddinson to return to cricket
Glenn Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Nic Maddinson will be ‘left in peace’ to deal with their ongoing mental well-being issues and there is no set timetable for their return to the game.
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Will Pucvoski has returned to Melbourne in “good spirits” but he and sidelined teammates Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson will continue to be given their space by cricket officials.
The trio have all stepped back from cricket to deal with their mental well-being and the game has thrown its collective arms around them amid a strong push to encourage any players with issues to do the same.
Maddinson was at the MCG this week watching his Victorian teammates and new coach Lachlan Stevens said he had also spoken to 21-year-old Pucovski who flew home from Perth late on Wednesday night.
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“I’ve seen Maddo and Will, but I haven’t spoken to Maxy. We’ll just leave them in peace and wait until they want to come in to the fold, and they are welcome as soon as they come back,” Stevens said after Victoria’s gripping Sheffield Shield loss to Queensland on Friday.
“Maddo was in pretty good spirits, I saw Will today (Friday) and he’s in pretty good spirits as well. I’ll just listen to how they feel, and so will the rest of the organisation.
“We don’t have a lot of information yet and that will all pay out differently for the three of them. We just want them to be OK and hopefully they are back sooner rather than later playing some cricket.”
Victoria plays two one-day games on Sunday and then Tuesday, but none of the trio are expected to play.
The cases of all three are being managed by Cricket Australia along with the Australian Cricketers Association, which allows the players to use their own support networks as well as selected medical specialists.
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A renewed focus on mental well-being from both organisations has seen all male and female players take part in a survey, which the Victorians completed in October.
Done in the presence of a trained psychologist, the survey asks questions about any occurrence of “life stresses” like relationship breakdowns or financial difficulties.
The Australian mens team was set to complete the survey this weekend in Brisbane.
CA’s medical chief Alex Kountouris said he was also confident the three Victorians would return to cricket, but the cases were all different and individual assessments would determine when they got back to playing.
“It’s not one thing that triggers someone to feel that way,” he said.
The ACA has reached out to all three as part of the process and remained confident they had the best possible support networks to help them deal with their issues.
“It doesn’t matter who they talk to as long as it’s someone they have a relationship with and someone they trust,” the ACA’s wellbeing manager Justin Whipper said.
“As long as there is someone they feel comfortable talking with, that’s all we are concerned with.”
Originally published as No set timetable for Glenn Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Nic Maddinson to return to cricket
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