
Ricky Ponting said Australia endured a poor T20 World Cup campaign and cast doubt on Glenn Maxwell’s chances of playing another World Cup.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has declared that Glenn Maxwell is unlikely to feature in another World Cup for Australia. He also dismissed suggestions that former players took pleasure in the national team’s early exit from the global T20 tournament.
Assessing Australia’s campaign, despite one remaining match against Oman, Ponting said the shock loss to Zimbabwe proved decisive.
“It’s been a really poor campaign, it has to be said. They had some injury concerns at the start with [Josh] Hazlewood and [Pat] Cummins being ruled out and then Tim David not available right at the start as well.
“But I think just losing to Zimbabwe like they did, that’s going to be the game that they’re going to think back and think like that’s our World Cup gone, there and then.
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“I think looking at the pool before the start of the tournament, I felt Sri Lanka would be difficult to beat at home and that’s certainly the way it turned out. But to think that Zimbabwe outplayed Australia in an ICC event, it’s those opportunities that you can’t afford to give up in a tournament like this,” Ponting told the ICC website overnight.
Ponting on Glenn Maxwell’s World Cup Future
Ponting recalled Australia’s defeat to Zimbabwe in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. Looking ahead to the 2028 World Cup on home soil, he expressed doubt about Maxwell’s future.
“Glenn Maxwell, I don’t think will be there. I think it looks to me like his career is coming towards an end. Marcus Stoinis would also probably be a question mark, but he’s predominantly playing only T20 cricket tournaments around the world these days. Doesn’t play a lot of state cricket and obviously plays the BBL, so with his all-round ability, he might be there.
“I think Mitchell Marsh will probably hang on long enough for that and I think Travis Head will definitely be around and Inglis will be around. Steve Smith has been very vocal about him wanting to be a part of an Olympic team as well. Whether or not that happens is a different story,” Ponting concluded.
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