Glenn Maxwell says his right wrist is “tracking nicely” after surgery and he hasn’t given up on featuring in Australia’s five-match T20 series against India next month.
Key facts first. Maxwell was struck on the wrist by a fierce Mitchell Owen drive during net practice before the New Zealand series. Scans revealed a fracture, he flew home, and surgeons inserted a plate last week. On Wednesday the cast came off; a slimline plastic splint went on. Australia have already named their squad for the first two fixtures, 29 and 31 October in Canberra and Melbourne, and Maxwell is not in it. The third contest is 2 November in Hobart, then 6 November on the Gold Coast and 8 November in Brisbane – those final three remain his target.
“I think having the surgery last week sort of gives me a little bit more hope of playing some part in that India series, if I can get myself right,” Maxwell said in Melbourne on Thursday. “The only reason I had the surgery was the options they gave me were miss that series completely and no surgery, or have surgery and it gives me a slim chance to hopefully play a part. And if not, I’ll be ready earlier for the BBL, and I think it leaves me in good stead to get the rest of my body right.”
The all-rounder met a hand therapist the day after the cast removal. Progress, he admits, looks mundane. “I only met with a hand therapist yesterday,” Maxwell said. “He only gave me some really basic movements, things that look really boring, but I suppose they’re going to strengthen the wrist.”
Medical staff believe a late-series appearance carries minimal extra risk. The bone should be solid by early November; the question is whether Maxwell can tolerate the jolt when a quick delivery thumps the splice of the bat. Painkillers exist, but he will know after a couple of hits in the nets whether it’s practical or just hopeful.
Context matters here too. Maxwell’s injury list is already notorious – a badly broken leg at a mate’s birthday party, concussion from tumbling off a golf cart – so another “freak” setback hardly shocked team-mates. “I was probably just a bit unlucky with the position that it hit me on the arm,” he reflected. “When it hit me, I thought I was lucky that it hit just bone and it wasn’t too much flesh, and it was going to be right. But, yeah, another unlucky one.”
This latest mishap has forced him to rethink his bowling habits, especially in the indoor nets where boundaries do not exist and balls rocket back faster than they leave the bat. “Guys like Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Mitch Owen and Cam Green, long levers, strong, it just comes back too quick. It’s not fun, But I should know better. I should know better to bowl into the hip and I’ll be doing that I think come BBL time,” Maxwell said, managing a grin.
From a selection standpoint Australia would welcome his late inclusion. The five-match series against India doubles as fine-tuning for next year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, and Maxwell’s middle-order hitting plus off-spin give balance. Without him coach Andrew McDonald has looked at Cameron Green, Tim David and the uncapped Owen to fill overs and late-innings power, but there is no like-for-like replacement when Maxwell is in form.
Former national selector Mark Waugh believes patience is wise: “You can’t rush a fracture, especially in the wrist where you absorb shock every ball,” Waugh told SEN radio. “If Glenn needs an extra week, give it to him. Australia need him fully fit come the World Cup, not half-fit for one bilateral.”
Maxwell shares the long-view yet clearly itches for game time. Surgery has shortened recovery to roughly four weeks; an uncomplicated fracture might have taken six or seven without intervention. BBL recruiters at Melbourne Stars are relaxed – their campaign starts in December – but they would prefer their marquee man to arrive battle-hardened rather than rusty.
For now, the 35-year-old follows a simple routine: gentle wrist flexions, low-impact cardio, video analysis, and a touch of physio-guided strength work. Boring, as he says, yet each tiny gain nudges him closer to Hobart. If pain allows, he will bat against soft-throw downs next week, then step up to proper pace. Only then will selectors make the call.
In truth, nothing is guaranteed, and Maxwell admits as much. Still, hope remains, and for a player who thrives on momentum, even a short run-up to summer would be welcome.
