After Glen Maxwell, Nic Maddinson Withdraws Owing to Mental Health Issues

After Glenn Maxwell, another Australian Cricketer Nic Maddinson has withdrawn from Australia A squad citing mental health issues. The top-order batsman was all set to play a three-day Day-Night tour game against Pakistan which begins from November 11 in Perth before the two-Test series starting on November 21. Cameron Bancroft has replaced Nic Maddinson in the squad which boasts the many renowned players looking to give audition for the upcoming Test series.

Ben Oliver, the Cricket Australia’s EGM of National Teams supported him, saying “The wellbeing of our players is always our primary concern,” Oliver said. “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 showed his support to Nic Maddinson and also praised his brave decision to speak up.

“Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him,” Hick said. “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.”

Maddinson has been going through a purple patch in his career. He smashed a double century for Victoria in the drawn fixture against South Australia in their Sheffield Shield tournament opener last month. Maddinson’s stunning Marsh Sheffield Shield form helped him to push for a Test berth, along with Victoria teammate Will Pucovski and Travis Head for a place in the middle order.

Meanwhile, his Victoria teammate Glenn Maxwell spoke about his mental health problem openly and took a break of the indefinite time period. He was also in a good form but had to leave the Sri Lanka series in a midway.

Alex Kountouris, Cricket Australia’s Sports Science and Sports Medicine Manager also spoke about the board’s commitment to the players’ who have been suffering mental health issues. He also shared their commitment to providing them with support to fight back the situation.

“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 said.

“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.