Victoria captain Will Sutherland has confirmed that star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be available for a limited number of Sheffield Shield matches early in the upcoming season. Maxwell, who turns 36 in October, is currently in England with Australia’s ODI team and has not played a Shield match for Victoria since February 2023.
Maxwell’s availability is a boost for Victoria, who are keen to have him play some red-ball cricket before Australia’s Test tour to Sri Lanka in January and February next year. Maxwell was part of the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 and nearly played the first Test in Galle, with his ability as a spin-bowling allrounder seen as an asset in spinning conditions.
However, Maxwell’s availability will be limited due to his commitments to Australia’s ODI and T20I series against Pakistan in November. He will also be unavailable for the first Shield game of the summer against Tasmania as he slowly builds up off a knee issue.
Victoria are also unlikely to have Australia fast bowler Scott Boland available for the first Shield game, but he is set to be unleashed in the game against NSW at the MCG. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Steven Smith are all a chance to play for the Blues in that match.
Sutherland himself will be on bowling restrictions during the start of the Shield season coming off a stress fracture in his back. He bowled six overs and made 36 not out in Victoria’s opening One-Day Cup win over Tasmania on Monday in Melbourne and will bowl again in Friday’s One-Day Cup game against Queensland.
One man who won’t be part of Victoria’s Shield team at the start of the season is Will Pucovski. The one-Test opener has not been training with the group and is set to finish his playing career after a medical panel advised he not continue due to the repeated concussions that he has suffered.
