Maxwell continues to recover from full-body cramps, to miss dead rubber vs BAN; Abbott in line for CWC debut

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will sit out of the dead rubber against Bangladesh in Pune on Saturday (Nov 11), while seamer Sean Abbott is in line to make his World Cup debut. Coming off from his record-breaking maiden ODI double hundred against Afghanistan in Mumbai, Maxwell continues to recover from the full-body cramps he suffered during the inning.

With Australia almost certain to face South Africa in the World Cup semis at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Maxwell’s fitness heading into the knockout would decide his team's fortune. Not just for his batting, his exploits with the ball in hand are as crucial for the side's success heading forward.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media on the eve of the team’s final league match, Daniel Vettori, the assistant coach, shed light on Maxwell's latest fitness update, revealing the star all-rounder didn’t train on Friday as he continues to rest and recover.

"He's definitely been in full recovery mode the last few days. I think we all saw the effects of the innings and in particular the heat," assistant coach Daniel Vettori told reporters on Friday.

"It'll be how he feels – I don't think it'll be a fitness-test scenario. We understand that obviously now that the semi-final is pretty definitive in Kolkata that it will be a build towards that.

"He does have a track record of being able to bounce back pretty quickly, even with some time away from the game,” Vettori added.

Besides, veteran batter Steve Smith is likely to return to the XI after missing the Afghanistan tie with a bout in vertigo.

Rest to more senior players

Considering Australia’s stance on the points table, they can afford to rest regulars before the knockout stage unlocks. While Maxwell is sure to sit out, either of the pace bowling trio of Josh Hazlewood, Captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc could be rested, with right-arm pacer Sean Abbott finally getting his first World Cup game.

"If you take it all the way back to the start to try and get those three fast bowlers through nine games in a short period of time, we always probably presume that that would be a tough challenge," said Vettori.

"Sean was always in the picture as a potential replacement for one of them, so I think that'll come into the equation once again, just weighing up how everyone comes through these last few days.

"I don't think it'll be a case of trying to play a game just for the sake of it – it'll be a case of if one of those three fast bowlers needs a bit of a break,” Vettori added.