BBL 2018-19: Glenn Maxwell named Melbourne Stars' captain

Melbourne Stars will be desperately hoping that their fortunes change when they take the field in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League. The Melbourne-based franchise is one of the most consistent teams in the league. In the first six seasons, they made it to the semifinals five times and finished runners-up once.

However, things turned out in a disastrous manner last season. They finished at the bottom of the points table and failed to make it to the finals. They were pretty much out of contention for a spot in the semifinal after losing their first five games. Eventually, they managed to win just two games out of ten and finished with the wooden spoon.

Well, they will be hoping to bounce back under their new skipper Glenn Maxwell. The Australia all-rounder takes the reins for the Stars after John Hastings’ unexpected retirement. Hastings brought down curtains on his cricket career due to a mystery lung condition that had forced him to take a break from cricket.

Expressing his delight over being named the skipper, Maxwell said he is looking forward to working with coach Stephen Fleming and mingling with the teammates, “It’s an honour to be named captain of the Melbourne Stars and I’m looking forward to working with (head coach) Stephen Fleming on what is set to be another big season,” said Maxwell as per quotes on the official Melbourne Stars website. “We’ve got a talented list which includes new signings so it’s going to be important for us to come together this week and get to know each other more both on and off the field,” he added.

Maxwell gives IPL a miss

Maxwell, meanwhile, has decided to skip the upcoming season of the IPL in order to win back his place in the Australian Test team for next year’s Ashes. Last month, Delhi Capitals released Maxwell, giving the allrounder another opportunity to get a big deal. However, Maxwell decided against it and did not register his name for the auction. Instead, he signed up with county outfit Lancashire to prepare himself for the English summer.

~ Written by Bijoy

[interaction id=”5c0d233cfc61dd68e82ab7d3″]