Amid the coronavirus pandemic, England started their Test series against West Indies and opened the gates of cricketing action after months of halt. However, the T20 World Cup which was scheduled for October and November in Australia, later this year has been cancelled.
The cancellation of the mega showpiece event has opened the doors for the biggest T20 competition in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian domestic T20 tournament that was originally scheduled to take place in March early this year had been postponed for an indefinite period due to spread of coronavirus.
But now the tournament is likely to be staged in the UAE in late September and as per Fox Sports, Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell is mentally ready for the IPL 2020. Not only Maxwell, but as many as 17 Aussies will also ply their trade in the cash-rich league. However, Maxwell did show the disappointment for the cancellation of the World Cup on home soil but was “pretty excited” at the prospect of having an IPL.
“Any time you have a home World Cup you are certainly looking forward to it. We felt like we had been building towards it as a T20 side,” said Maxwell.
“You wait and see (with the IPL), waiting on the judgments of other people, what you can and can’t do with travel and quarantine times and all that, if everything gets ticked off there I have no real reason no to go,” he added.
“The overseas guys get a hell of a kick playing in it, some of the best players in the world rubbing shoulders, similar to a World Cup, but on a smaller scale. If everything gets ticked off, I would love to be available for it,” the 31-year-old added further.
Recently, Cricket Australia (CA) announced the 26-man squad for the England tour and Maxwell was included in the group. The Victorian cricketer said he was preparing himself, physically and mentally, to play cricket again, irrespective of the opponent.
“To be home was a bit of a luxury at this time of the year. I’ve actually had a great time, freshened up the batteries and the mind as well.
“I was always mentally getting myself ready for this time of year when there would potentially be cricket back on. I haven’t been thinking about where we are going to end you or who we are going to be playing. It was about getting my game ready, my body ready, and making sure I was ready for any series,” Maxwell added further.
Maxwell’s last appearance on the cricket field was the Big Bash League (BBL) final for the Melbourne Stars in February. However, on Monday (July 20) the right-handed batsman did face some bowlers in the nets for the first time since BBL final.
