Hyderabad: Five-time champions Australia might miss the services of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell in their last World Cup league game against Bangladesh as he is still recovering from the cramps sustained during the fixture against Afghanistan held on Tuesday in Mumbai.
As a result of Glenn Maxwell still recovering from full-body cramps he sustained in the last game, the 35-year-old skipped training on the eve of the clash against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Pune. With the team scheduled to play against South Africa in the semi-final, Glenn Maxwell's fitness will be Australia's top priority.
Glenn Maxwell played a terrific knock in the game against Afghanistan by scoring a double hundred (201 not out) and turned the game on its head. He has now amassed 397 runs while averaging nearly 80 with a strike rate of 153.
"He's (Maxwell) definitely been in full recovery mode the last few days. I think we all saw the effects of the innings and in particular the heat," Australia's assistant coach Daniel Vettori told reporters on Friday.
"Today's a big day to see how he pulls up. We'll just see how he feels as the day continues on but it's obviously been pretty hectic for him the last few days. It'll be how he feels – I don't think it'll be a fitness-test scenario. We understand that obviously now that the semi-final is pretty definitive in Kolkata, it will be a build towards that," added Vettori, a former New Zealand spinner.
Star batter Steve Smith is likely to return in the match against Bangladesh as he is recovering from vertigo and was involved in an extensive range-hitting session on Friday afternoon.
Pace all-rounder Sean Abbott might be slotted in the playing eleven in case Australia decides to give rest one of the pace bowlers. The left-handed pacer might be a potential replacement in the team.
"If you take it all the way back to the start to try and get those three fast bowlers through nine games in a short period of time, we always probably presume that that would be a tough challenge," said Vettori.
"Sean (Abbott) was always in the picture as a potential replacement for one of them, so I think that'll come into the equation once again, just weighing up how everyone comes through these last few days," Vettori concluded.
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