Australia Vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 2nd Semifinal: Big Boost For Aussies As Glenn Maxwell Deemed Fit, Confirms Pat Cummins

Australia captain Pat Cummins revealed that Glenn Maxwell is fit to feature in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final four clash against the Proteas on Thursday.

Australia batter Glenn Maxwell. (Photo: AP)

Australia skipper Pat Cummins gave a positive update about the availability of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell stating that he is fit to feature against South Africa in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final clash against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. Even after suffering from cramps. Maxwell powered Australia to the semi-final, producing an odds-defying knock of 201 not out against Afghanistan.

As a result, he ended up missing out on Australia’s final group-stage match against Bangladesh. But Cummins revealed that Maxwell is fit to feature in their final four clash against the Proteas.

“Yeah, so Maxi’s (Glen Maxwell) all clear, he's all good. Yeah, just precautionary so still a little bit sore yesterday and yeah, we get scans a lot of the time just to make sure that if there is something there, we know what we’re dealing with. And fortunately, he came back all sweet, so he’s fine,” Cummins said in the pre-match press conference.

Glenn Maxwell was nothing but calm sitting on 195* with an Australia W in sight.

_ Don't miss Howie's EXCLUSIVE chat with Glenn Maxwell on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports TODAY 3pm pic.twitter.com/llqtzj1aHW — Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 14, 2023

Maxwell came out as a beacon of strength, grit and determination by battling cramps and niggles throughout his unbeaten knock of 201. The ‘Big Show’ of cricket produced an innings that will undoubtedly remain in public memory for years to come. Cummins was quizzed whether Maxwell’s knock serves as an inspiration to the team to which he replied, “Yeah, for sure. I think any moment like that. You know, same with Mitch Marsh’s 170-odd last game. I think in particular Maxwell’s knock when we were right up against it, game was over, but still one of the boys stood up to find a way to win. As a team you grow an extra leg because you feel like you can win a match from anywhere and having someone like Maxi in your team is just a complete luxury. He’s a superstar, he’s a freak, he can win a game from anywhere. Yeah, pretty glad he’s in our team.”

Cummins wasn’t bothered about losing to South Africa in the league stages of the World Cup and believed both teams will start from scratch in the semifinal. “You know, obviously you start from scratch every time you play. They’re a team we’ve played quite a lot and know quite well. But as you said, this week it's probably going to be quite different to say the South African series that we just played against them a couple of months ago,” Cummins said in Kolkata.

“So, I think what helps us is we’ve got a lot of guys that have been in this situation before that have won one day World Cup, T20 World Cup, various other tournaments in big moments. So, I think that really helps. You can draw on that in the middle of the contest. In terms of the wicket, it does look like it’s probably going to spin a bit more than some of the other wickets. Which again, is the same for both teams. It might just be a slightly different pace game, but I think it’s still pretty evenly matched,” he added.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.