Glenn Maxwell needs one more ingredient to become 'unstoppable', says Australian assistant coach David Saker

Maxwell after one of his knocks

Australian assistant coach David Saker has spoken about the one missing element that can make Glenn Maxwell a brutal force in all formats of the game. According to Saker, the stylish right-handed batsman just needs a little bit of consistency to become indispensable to the Australian Cricket Team.

Maxwell recently played a masterful knock against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy, when he hit 145 not out in only 65 deliveries. He hit 14 boundaries and 9 sixes as he carried out his assault on Thisara Perera and co.

Speaking to cricket.com.au's The Unplayable Podcast, Saker acknowledged the 27-year-old’s knock.

"It was amazing," he said. "I stayed up and watched it, and it was pretty special. When he's in that sort of form you can't really stop him and it's hard for any bowler to have a plan against him because he can hit the ball 360 degrees."

Saker has tipped the Australian power hitter to cement his spot in the Australian Test squad. Maxwell's last Test outing for the Baggy Green was way back in October, 2014 against Pakistan in UAE. 

Test Cricket is the ultimate test of one's cricketing abilities. Although Glenn Maxwell is one of the first names on the team sheet in the limited overs format, he has not been able to perform well in the whites.

The new Aussie assistant coach has stressed on the fact that consistency is the only thing that stands in the way of the player, who has often been termed a '360-degree player', to become a Test regular.

The former Victoria coach, who trained Maxwell in his youth, has said that talent is not the only factor that is looked into while selecting a squad. He added, "We just want to see consistency with everything he does. When he does that he will be unstoppable. He is the sort of person you want in your Test team because he can do special things."

Saker also spoke about Maxwell's all round abilities, branding him as one of the best fielders in the world and a useful spinner.

"He's also an extremely good fieldsman, if not the best fieldsman in the world, and a competent spin bowler.”

"He's a perfect person to have in your team when he's going well but the problem with Glenn is the consistency just hasn't been there, so if he can keep backing up what he did the other night – obviously not quite to that extent – just more consistency in his game, that is probably what all in Australian cricket want."