Nic Maddinson pulls out of Australia A squad owing to mental health issues

In what is the second such instance within the Aussie side in just over a week's time, Nic Maddinson has pulled out of the Australia A squad that will face Pakistan on November 11 citing mental health issues. It comes as a major blow for the Victorian who, along with other Test contenders such as Joe Burns, Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski, was eyeing to make an impact in the warm-up match against the visitors to attract the attention of the selectors. 

"The wellbeing of our players is always our primary concern. We are proud that our players are comfortable to speak honestly and openly about how they are feeling," Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia's executive general manager of National Teams said in an official statement on Saturday.

"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," he added.

The news comes in the wake of another Australian, Glenn Maxwell, withdrawing himself from the T20I team owing to the same reason. This is also the second instance of Maddinson taking a break from cricket due to mental health issues, after previously having done the same in 2017 as a 25-year-old. 

Cricket Australia have also confirmed that Western Australia's Cameron Bancroft, who had a disastrous Ashes campaign, will replace Maddinson in the Australia A squad. With 389 runs in just five innings, Maddinson is the third-highest run-getter in the Sheffield Shield season and thus this will be a considerable blow for both him and the national team.