Veteran cricket allrounder Glenn Maxwell will miss Australia’s summer schedule after breaking his leg in a freak accident at a birthday party in Melbourne.
The 34-year-old white-ball specialist fractured his left fibula after slipping on Saturday evening and underwent surgery at a Melbourne hospital on Sunday, Cricket Australia confirmed in a statement.
He is expected to be off the field for between eight and 12 weeks, meaning he will be unavailable for limited-overs series against England, followed by test and white-ball series against the West Indies and South Africa later in the season.
He is also unlikely to be available for the four-Test series in India in February and March given the recovery period, with Maxwell potentially in line for a recall to the test team for that tour given his strong batting and bowling experience in Asian conditions.
Maxwell reportedly slipped while running in the backyard at the party with his leg then becoming trapped under another guest. It is believed that neither Maxwell nor the other guest were intoxicated at the time of the accident.
“Glenn is in good spirits,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said in a statement. “It was an unfortunate accident and we feel for Glenn in the circumstances given he was in great touch in his last few games.
Maxwell has been replaced in Australia’s squad for the coming ODI series against England, which starts in Adelaide on Thursday, by allrounder Sean Abbott.
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