After Glenn Maxwell, another Australia top-order batsman Nic Maddinson has withdrawn from Australia A squad citing mental health reasons. He has opted out of the upcoming tour game against Pakistan which will be a three-day Day-Night fixture beginning from November 11 in Perth before the two-Test series starting on November 21. Maddinson will be replaced by Cameron Bancroft in the squad.
Cricket Australia’s EGM of National Teams Ben Oliver has supported the 27-year-old, saying “The wellbeing of our players is always our primary concern. We are proud that our players are comfortable to speak honestly and openly about how they are feeling. We will provide Nic with all the support and care we can and wish him a full and speedy recovery. We also ask that Nic’s privacy be respected at this time.”
Australia A coach Graeme Hick also applauded his decision to speak up bravely, citing, “Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him. It is braver to speak up than to suffer in silence and I applaud Nic for having the courage to put his health first. While saddened to see Nic stand down, we welcome Cam Bancroft to the Australia A XI. Cam is obviously no stranger to quality international bowling and the Perth Stadium wicket. We have no doubt he will fit well into the team.
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Last month, Maddinson showed a great form for Victoria, hitting a double century against South Australia in their Sheffield Shield campaign opener. However, a couple of days ago, Glenn Maxwell also talked about the mental illness and took a break from cricket. On the other hand, Cricket Australia’s Sports Science and Sports Medicine Manager Alex Kountouris also spoke of the board’s duty to the players’ mental well-being and their commitment towards them.
” Mental health is a challenge faced by Australian communities and elite sporting organisations and cricket is no different. Like other professional sports we are working very hard to better understand the challenges faced by our players and staff so we can support them,” Kountouris added.
“We are all proud to work in an industry where players can feel safe to talk about these issues. It goes without saying that we offer all our players the support they need in the difficult times but importantly we are working on education, resourcing and research to better understand how we do this,” he concluded.
