Marcus Stoinis snubbed as Glenn Maxwell returns to Australia's limited-overs squad for South Africa tour

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been named in the Australia ODI and T20I squad for the South Africa tour that begins later this month. At the end of last year, Maxwell had shocked the cricket fraternity when he decided to take a break from international cricket following mental health difficulties and hasn’t played for Australia ever since.

In the meantime, he has been prolific for BBL franchise Melbourne Stars as their skipper and batsman. Maxwell also was bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the IPL 2020 Auction. Things seem to be completely falling into place for ‘The Big Show’ as now he is back where he belongs- playing for Australia in ODIs and T20Is.

The 31-year-old led Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League and was also named by Cricket Australia as the captain of the team of the tournament. Maxwell had a fantastic tournament with both bat and ball, scoring 389 runs and picking up eight wickets. He has potentially two more matches now to add to that tally.

However, Maxwell’s Melbourne Stars’ teammate Marcus Stoinis, who was named the BBL 2019-20 Player of the Tournament for topping the run charts, didn’t earn a spot but will be the standby player for both the squads.

Mitchell Marsh has also been included in Australia squad

While Ashton Turner paved way for Maxwell from the squad that toured India recently, selectors have also included wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade and all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh, in place of Peter Handscomb and D’Arcy Short in the 14-man squad. Marsh also returned to the T20I squad alongside pacers Sean Abbott and Jhye Richardson.

Marsh finished as Perth Scorchers‘ leading run-getter with 382 runs at a strike-rate of 145 whereas Wade managed to impress in white-ball cricket as well, scoring impressive knocks for Hobart Hurricanes while juggling between international duties. Richardson, who hasn’t featured for Australia since the shoulder injury he sustained last year that caused him to miss the World Cup, gets an opportunity in the T20I setup after impressing with the ball for Scorchers.

“He (Marsh) has been in tremendous touch with the bat for the Scorchers since his return from injury and is now back bowling well. His performances warranted inclusion in the area he operates as a powerful middle-order batsman and handy bowler,” national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement as quoted by Fox Sports.

“Jhye Richardson also returns to the T20 side from injury with his performances demanding inclusion. He is a terrific young player who has been sensational in all forms of the game and is an extremely strong fieldsman.

“Matthew Wade is also in red hot form with the bat. He is a very strong fielder, and a great person to have in any team. He can also substitute as wicketkeeper if required,” added Hohns.

Australia’s ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia’s T20I squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

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