Nic Maddinson Takes Break From Cricket Due To Mental Health Issues

Days after Glenn Maxwell took a break from cricket due to mental health issues, another Australian batsman Nic Maddinson has also followed suit. The Victoria batsman has pulled out of the upcoming clash between Australia A and Pakistan in Perth citing mental health concerns. Cameron Bancroft will replace Nic Maddinson in the squad.

This is not the first time the batsman has taken such a step. In the past too, he had stepped away from cricket due to same reasons. Nic Maddinson’s decision comes just days after Maxwell’s. The hard-hitting batsman pulled out midway through Australia’s T20I series with Sri Lanka in late October. Maddinson, nonetheless, was in contention for a recall from Australia’s Test side due to his form in Sheffield Shield.

In eight games for Victoria over the past two seasons, Maddinson had hit four hundreds, including a career-best 224 in their Shield season-opener earlier this month, for a total of 952 runs at 79.33.A fine display for Australia A in the middle-order would have only strengthened his case. However, the batsman has decided to give priority to his mental health.

Previously in 2017, he had stepped away from Sheffield Shield cricket with his then-state the NSW Blues as a 25-year-old. He had taken that step soon after being dropped from Australia’s Test team after flopping in the series against South Africa.

Maddinson, nonetheless, is getting the full support from the authorities. Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of National Teams, said Maddinson would be afforded all the time and support he needed to return to full health.

“The wellbeing of our players is always our primary concern,” Oliver was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia’s official website. “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,” he added.

Also Read: Pakistan Retain Top Spot In ICC T20I Rankings, India At Fifth

Also Read:Ricky Ponting Says Ravichandran Ashwin Adds Value To Any Team He Is Part Of