Snubbed stars to strike back

Handscomb, Maxy line up for Vics

VICTORIAN coach Andrew McDonald expects an immediate on-field response from Glenn Maxwell after his Test snub, as confusion continues to circle Australian coach Justin Langer’s selection policies.

Maxwell was the most surprising omission from the 15-man squad named during the week for next month’s two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE, with his Victorian teammate Peter Handscomb, who played the final Test in South Africa in March, also left out.

Both will turn out for Victoria in the opening match of the one-day domestic competition in Townsville tomorrow and McDonald is confident they can “dust themselves off” and hit back with runs.

“It’s natural to be disappointed but it’s how long you stay in that state,” McDonald said yesterday.

“One of the greatest challenges with having an Australian career is that you are always going to be in and out. These guys are used to it.

“Maxy seems to have a pretty good grasp on it, that’s the sense I get every time I talk to him.”

Former Victorian batsmen Brad Hodge, who felt the pain of nonselection throughout his career, playing just six Tests despite more than 17,000 first-class runs, joined the chorus of confusion yesterday.

He said Maxwell deserved “an extended run” in the national side to get the hundreds Langer demanded when asked why he left the Victorian out.

McDonald also said he, as a state coach, had not heard of the new “scores over 30” metric being cited by the Cricket Australia website as a new selection measure used by Langer and the national selectors.

“It must be a new one. It hasn’t come across my desk. I know JL [Langer] is big on hundreds,” McDonald said. “He has been open and transparent with his messaging … and making hundreds has been a measurement probably since cricket was invented.”