Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] : Australia skipper Pat Cummins gave a positive update about the availability of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell stating that he is fit to feature against South Africa in their World Cup semi-final clash against South Africa at the Eden Gardens.
Even after suffering from cramps. Maxwell powered Australia to the semi-final, producing an odds-defying knock of 201* against Afghanistan.
As a result, he ended up missing out on Australia’s final group-stage match against Bangladesh. But Cummins revealed that Maxwell is fit to feature in their final four clash against the Proteas.
“Yeah, so Maxi’s (Glen Maxwell) all clear, he’s all good. Yeah, just precautionary so still a little bit sore yesterday and yeah, we get scans a lot of the time just to make sure that if there is something there, we know what we’re dealing with. And fortunately, he came back all sweet, so he’s fine,” Cummins said in the pre-match press conference.
Maxwell came out as a beacon of strength, grit and determination by battling cramps and niggles throughout his unbeaten knock of 201. The ‘Mad Max’ of cricket produced an innings that will undoubtedly remain in public memory for years to come.
Cummins was quizzed whether Maxwell’s knock serves as an inspiration to the team to which he replied, “Yeah, for sure. I think any moment like that. You know, same with Mitch Marsh’s 170-odd last game. I think in particular Maxwell’s knock when we were right up against it, game was over, but still one of the boys stood up to find a way to win. As a team you grow an extra leg because you feel like you can win a match from anywhere and having someone like Maxi in your team is just a complete luxury. He’s a superstar, he’s a freak, he can win a game from anywhere. Yeah, pretty glad he’s in our team.”
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.