RED-BALL RAG TO BULL MAXWELL
AUSTRALIAN selectors have left the door ajar for Glenn Maxwell to break his five-year Test hiatus in Sri Lanka – if he can “shoot the lights out” in the white-ball matches.
Maxwell was left out of the Test squad on Friday in a massive show of confidence in incumbent Test No.5 Travis Head, who continues to be backed in as a long-term star following his breakout Ashes summer.
However, national selector George Bailey declared that after two years of strict Covid restrictions, Australia would be bringing back increased flexibility to managing squads and would hold the right to add players to the Test squad at the last moment if form warrants it.
Maxwell was snubbed from the initial Test squad announced on Friday – which was identical to the squad that took down Pakistan, except for opener Marcus Harris being dropped back to the Australia A team.
But selectors are aware of Maxwell’s past performances in subcontinental conditions and haven’t put a line through his name.
“We thought the guys who did the job in Pakistan did a really good job on the back of also doing a really good job over the summer so there wasn’t too much discussion around others,” Bailey said.
“But one of the really pleasing things for this tour that we’re hoping is that we have reduced squad sizes a little bit and we are hoping to get back to having that flexibility where if we
do need to add someone to the squad, Glenn or another player, we have the ability to do that on a needs basis.
“As opposed to trying to crystal ball what you might need and announcing a squad of 20 which we’ve had the last couple of years.
“We know Glenn has had some red-ball success in these types of conditions. We’re looking forward to him just getting back and playing a good block of cricket for Australia through the T20s and one-day cricket and if he shoots the lights out and anyone else does particularly well, there’s always going to be opportunities.”
Bailey said Australia had to keep an open mind about the possibility of picking all three spinners – Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar in the same XI – a move which would make it almost impossible for world-class quick Josh Hazlewood to fight his way back into the XI after being left out of the last two Tests in Pakistan.
“Obviously our recent history in Galle would suggest it’s going to be conducive to spin. There’s a chance we go in with a similar make-up to what we finished with in Pakistan with the extra spinner and one fast bowler short,” Bailey said.
“We know Hoff is an absolutely quality bowler across all formats so he’ll be there and ready to go. We might not get the conditions we expect. He’s always going to be a very important member of the Test squad.
“Absolutely we have to be open to the possibility of playing three spinners. We’ve seen it done once in the past, a Test match in Bangladesh (in 2017) and we’ll assess that.”
Maxwell will be part of Australia’s T20 and 50-over sides, but he has not played a Test for almost five years.