Nic Maddinson has withdrawn from Australia A’s tour match against Pakistan on mental health grounds.
Cricket Australia supports Maddinson’s decision, which was relayed to team management on Friday.
Cameron Bancroft will replace Maddinson in the Australia A XI for the three-day, day-night match against Pakistan, beginning at Perth Stadium from Monday, November 11.
Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia’s EGM of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ 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 said. “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.”
Graeme Hick, Australia A’s coach for the match against Pakistan, said the thoughts of the entire Australian cricket family were with Maddinson.
“Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him,” Hick said. “It is braver to speak up than to suffer in silence and I applaud Nic for having the courage to put his health first.
“While saddened to see Nic stand down, we welcome Cam Bancroft to the Australia A XI. Cam is obviously no stranger to quality international bowling and the Perth Stadium wicket. We have no doubt he will fit well into the team.”
Alex Kountouris, Cricket Australia’s Sports Science and Sports Medicine Manager, said CA is committed to better understanding mental health and supporting those who were encountering issues in this area.
“Mental health is a challenge faced by Australian communities and elite sporting organisations and cricket is no different,” Kountouris said. “Like other professional sports we are working very hard to better understand the challenges faced by our players and staff so we can support them.
“We are all proud to work in an industry where players can feel safe to talk about these issues. It goes without saying that we offer all our players the support they need in the difficult times but importantly we are working on education, resourcing and research to better understand how we do this.”
