Wade replaces injured Maxwell for South Africa T20Is
The allrounder picked up an ankle injury during Australia’s first training session in Durban
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Aug-2023 • 23 mins ago
Matthew Wade is back in the Australia T20I squad • BCCI
Matthew Wade has been called up to Australia’s T20I squad in South Africa to replace Glenn Maxwell, who picked up an ankle injury during the team’s first training session in Durban.
Maxwell’s injury has been termed “a minor aggravation to his left ankle”, and a conservative route has been taken with an eye on the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. He was already due to leave the tour after the T20I series for the birth of his first child before rejoining the squad in India.
“We are taking a precautionary approach, given Glenn was heading home next week in any case,” Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said. “We will monitor Glenn’s recovery with a view to him being available for the three-match ODI series in India in advance of the World Cup.”
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Wade will join the tour having recently played in the Hundred for London Spirit. His omission from the original squad was more with a view to giving Josh Inglis a run with the gloves rather than moving on from Wade.
He had flagged a potential international retirement last year after the T20 World Cup in Australia, but stepped back from that in subsequent months and chair of selectors George Bailey indicated he remained firmly in their thoughts for next year’s tournament in the West Indies and the USA.
“We do fully expect that [Wade] will come back into this T20 squad for that Indian series post the World Cup,” Bailey said. “This was a great opportunity to give Josh, who’s been on an enormous amount of tours across a number of formats and hasn’t really had much playing-time opportunity.
“Alex Carey is obviously the wicketkeeper in [ODIs], but just making sure that if Josh does get an opportunity through an injury to Alex, that he’s ready to go and he’s got some game time under his belt.”
Maxwell’s absence will open up a middle-order position, which could mean an early opportunity for Ashton Turner, who was a replacement in the squad for Steven Smith, or the uncapped Aaron Hardie.
The T20I series gets underway in Durban on Wednesday with all three matches played in the same city across five days.
Matthew WadeGlenn MaxwellAustraliaAustralia tour of South Africa