Maxwell in line for Sheffield Shield return following broken leg

Maxwell in line for Sheffield Shield return following broken leg

Cricket

Maxwell will play premier cricket before one more fitness test to confirm his availability.

SYDNEY (Web Desk) - Glenn Maxwell is in line to make his return to first-class cricket after a gap of more than three years if he passes one more fitness test following his recovery from a broken leg.

He has been included in Victoria's 13-player Sheffield Shield squad to face South Australia but will need to come through an outing for his club side Fitzroy-Doncaster in Victorian Premier Cricket on Saturday and will then have one more fitness test before being confirmed in Victoria's XI.

Maxwell last played the Sheffield Shield in October 2019 and has been sidelined from all cricket since November when he suffered a badly broken leg when slipping at a friend's birthday party.

The injury ruled Maxwell out of being included for the Test tour of India, although there may remain the slimmest of chances of a late call-up depending on how he goes against South Australia. At the very least, though, he hopes to be available for the ODIs which conclude the tour in March.

Maxwell was very close to a Test recall in Sri Lanka last year when there were injury doubts over Travis Head and the second season of The Test documentary revealed out distraught he was at missing out. The last of his seven Tests came against Bangladesh at Chattogram in 2017.

"To bring a player of Glenn's calibre into the squad is exciting, he has a fantastic record in Shield cricket and it's a shame he hasn't been able to play more of it," Cricket Victoria's Head of Male Cricket, David Hussey said.