ODI World Cup 2023: Glenn Maxwell ruled out of Australia-England clash due to freak 'Golf cart' injury

Glenn Maxwell, the star Australian all-rounder who has been in exceptional form in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, will not be able to participate in the match against England due to an unfortunate incident involving a golf cart.

He suffered a concussion after slipping and falling from the back of the cart. However, he is currently progressing well and showing signs of recovery. The Australian team are scheduled to play their next match against the defending champions, England, on November 4, at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad.

A freak golf cart injury has ruled out Glenn Maxwell from the game against England. Suffered a concussion after he slipped and fell off the back of the cart but is recovering well #CWC23 #AusvEng

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 1, 2023

This incident occurred during a break while playing a game of golf at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad. Maxwell had been standing on the back of a moving golf cart when he slipped and fell, resulting in a concussion and facial bruising. 

"In transporting him back from the clubhouse to the team bus, Glenn Maxwell came off the back of a cart and has suffered a small concussion, so he will go into concussion protocols for the next period of time and will, unfortunately, miss the England game," head coach McDonald was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"The guys were ferried off on carts. Glenn and a few other players jumped on the back of carts and unfortunately, he lost his grip on the way back to the team bus and sustained that injury. It was just a clear-cut accident … he's an important player for us, hopefully, it's just the one game he misses," he continued.

There'll be no replacement, he'll go into six to eight days concussion protocol: Andrew McDonald

Cricket Australia's concussion protocols require him to miss the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 game against England, with hopes that he will be fit post the fixture following the England clash. As of now, no replacement has been named for him in the squad. 

"There'll be no replacement (in the squad) as such, he'll go into six to eight days concussion protocol. We feel as though it'll be a relatively straightforward return to play protocol with where he's at at the moment,” McDonald stated.

He is anticipated to make a comeback for Australia's match against Afghanistan before the semi-finals. Marcus Stoinis is most likely to fill in for Maxwell, with Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne also expected to take on more prominent roles. Despite this setback, Australia remains optimistic about their performance in the tournament.

"We'll be looking at Travis to take some pace out of the game (with the ball) and we've also got Marnus who can do some spinning duties, Labuschagne has been working on his off-spin along with his leg-spin. We feel like we've got enough options to take the pace out of the game should the surface require that," McDonald concluded.

Quite fascinatingly, this was not the first time a golf-related mishap has affected the Australian cricket team. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis too had suffered a severe hand injury during a golf outing, last year. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell's spirits remain high, and he is expected to continue training while following the necessary recovery protocols.

Also Check: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Teams & Squads