Maxwell suffers fractured leg in freak accident

Glenn Maxwell could miss the rest of the summer after breaking his leg in a freak accident at a 50th birthday party in Melbourne this weekend.

Maxwell has been ruled out of the Dettol ODI series against England beginning this week and will then undergo a lengthy rehabilitation after fracturing his left fibula on Saturday.

The 34-year-old underwent surgery on Sunday after he and the person celebrating the milestone were running in a backyard on Saturday evening.

Both slipped and fell, with Maxwell's leg becoming trapped under the other person's, understood to be a friend of Maxwell's.

Neither were intoxicated and the other person is not believed to have sustained an injury.

“Glenn is in good spirits. It was an unfortunate accident and we feel for Glenn in the circumstances given he was in great touch in his last few games," Australia's selection chief George Bailey said.

“Glenn is a critical part of our white ball structure and we will continue to support him through his recovery and rehabilitation.”

Sean Abbott has replaced Maxwell in the squad for the ODI series.

Maxwell appeared in good spirits on Sunday, posting a video on Instagram of him watching the Melbourne Stars WBBL team.

But it is rough timing for the allrounder, who could face up to three months on the sidelines. A more detailed prognosis is expected later this week.

He was set to captain the Melbourne Stars in the upcoming KFC BBL after the ODIs against England which was set to complete a long run of white-ball cricket for him, including Australia's disappointing recent T20 World Cup campaign.

Now his lingering red-ball aspirations are up in the air, too. A return to the Marsh Sheffield Shield for the first time in three years had been on the cards over the coming weeks with an eye to Australia's next Test tour, to India in February.

"It's something that I've made no secret about, that I really want to play Test cricket again and I'm just hoping by the end of the summer hopefully I can be somewhere around that Test squad," Maxwell told cricket.com.au recently.

Maxwell had come close to donning his Baggy Green for the first time in five years during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. While a recall was unlikely to materialise during the home summer, he was set to come into contention for a middle-order spot on turning pitches in India.

There is still time for him to prove his fitness before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour commences, but his preparation for that campaign will undoubtedly be compromised.

Men's Dettol ODI Series v England

Thursday Nov 17: Adelaide Oval, 1:50pm

Saturday Nov 19: SCG, 2:20pm

Tuesday Nov 22: MCG, 2:20pm

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