Photo: Instagram/ @gmaxi_32

Veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell makes that long awaited comeback to the Australian cricket team, after being picked in the provisional squad for the tour to England. Earlier in the week, the Australian Cricket Board announced a 26-man preliminary squad for their proposed tour to England in September.

Seasoned cricketers like Glenn Maxwell and Usman Khawaja were recalled to the team, while three uncapped players in Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith and Josh Philippe were also included in that preliminary squad. Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson however miss out due to injuries. 

This is the first time that Maxwell, who is to represent Kings XI Punjab in the VIVO Indian Premier League, has been picked in the Australian squad since October, 2019 when he played in a series against India where he was the Man of the Series. Following that, the all-rounder opted out of playing the games against Pakistan and New Zealand, taking a break from the sport to deal with mental health issues. After nearly 10 months away from the game, Maxwell was keen to return to the sport and would be fresh to fire on all cylinders against England. 

The Australian cricket team were initially scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20 Internationals this month, but that series is now likely to be pushed to September due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"We continue to work with the ECB and government agencies and a decision on the tour will be made in due course" said Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of National Teams.

"The health and well-being of players and staff, along with our commitment to public health within our communities, remain our utmost priority,” he added.  

Dates for the proposed tour to England are yet to be finalised, but will most likely be sometime in early September, 2020.