Glenn Maxwell scored 61 on Saturday for club side Fitzroy-Doncaster in his first game back from a broken leg. After fracturing his left fibula at a friend’s 50th birthday party in November, Maxwell was named to Victoria’s Marsh Sheffield Shield squad yesterday for their match with South Australia. This marked his first return to cricket since the T20 World Cup.
In Victorian Premier Cricket, however, the 33-year-old first needed to demonstrate his fitness, which he accomplished with skill by smashing two sixes and five fours in his 92-ball score. Maxwell helped the Lions resurrect their innings and put them on track for a close two-wicket victory at Schramms Reserve in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He came in at 3-18 with his team struggling to chase Kingston Hawthorn’s 215 runs.
Maxwell is a superstar
The star all-rounder, who is unlikely to bowl in the Shield match if he passes a final fitness test before Monday’s match against the Redbacks at Junction Oval, got off to a strong start with a pull shot through the middle of the second ball.
After the lunch break, he opened his shoulders and launched a series of aggressive shots over midfield, going from 38 to 61 in 13 balls.
When he smoked a slog sweep off the Kingston leg-spinner into a backyard adjacent to the modest Doncaster ground, a bizarre sequence ensued, causing the game to be halted for several minutes.
After trying to clear the rope once more, Maxwell reverse-swept himself off his feet on the next ball before holing out to deep cover from the third ball of the over.
It will be Maxwell’s first first-class match since October 2019 if his return for Victoria is confirmed on Monday. His freak injury prevented him from playing in the beginning of December.
David Hussey, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket, stated, “To bring a player of Glenn’s calibre into the squad is exciting.
After the conclusion of the ongoing Border Gavaskar contest, Maxwell is also interested in returning to the Australian team for their three-match One-Day International series in India. If selected for the tour, Maxwell could also play another Shield match for Victoria, as well as two Marsh One-Day Cup matches if the state were to qualify for the decider.
One month from now, the first one-day international against India will take place in Mumbai on March 17.