"Baz would have picked him" - Ian Smith on Glenn Maxwell's limited opportunities in Test cricket
Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith believes current England Test coach Brendon McCullum would have picked Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the Test side.
Maxwell is coming off arguably the best ODI knock ever with his 201* off 128 deliveries to lead Australia to a miraculous three-wicket victory against Afghanistan. It was the first-ever double century in an ODI run chase as Maxwell single-handedly resurrected the Aussie innings from 91/7 to successfully chase down 292.
Meanwhile, McCullum has been instrumental in England's resurgence in Test cricket, thanks to his promotion of aggressive batting right from the get-go.
On SEN's Sportsday, Smith felt the former Kiwi captain would have looked at that knock and immediately picked Maxwell into the Test squad.
"Baz would have picked him, I know that. I know Brendon McCullum, I haven't heard anything come from him but I'm sure he'll have a quote or two about that innings because he would have sat there bewildered," Smith said.
When asked about Glenn Maxwell's limited Test opportunities, Ian Smith pointed to Australia's incredible depth, especially in the lower middle-order spot. He felt that the destructive batter would have played plenty more for a nation like New Zealand.
"I think there's a couple of things to consider here," Smith stated. "One is that Australia have got the depth in Test cricket that most countries are very envious of. Glenn Maxwell would have played a lot of Tests for New Zealand, Glenn Maxwell would have played a lot of Tests for a lot of other countries.
"In the area he bats in red-ball cricket, that middle order spot, Australia have been traditionally very, very strong and they have got great depth in that area."
Smith also felt that players of Maxwell's ilk could eventually become more prominent in red-ball cricket.
"I'd love to see that kind of Glenn Maxwell play some Test innings like that every now and then. But it's just not a done thing, is it? Maybe in 10 years’ time, Test cricket will evolve into that (suiting that style of player). Glenn Maxwell will sadly be probably not around to be playing it," he added.
Despite his white-ball heroics, Maxwell has played only seven Tests for Australia, scoring 339 runs at an average of 26.07 and a century. His off-spinners have yielded eight wickets at a 42.62 average with one four-wicket haul.
Australia has Travis Head playing a similar role to Maxwell at No.5 with resounding success, helping them win the World Test Championship (WTC) for 2021-23.
"Throw Martin Guptill into that conversation" - Ian Smith
Ian Smith compared Glenn Maxwell's career graph to fellow New Zealand batter Martin Guptill's, who has similarly achieved tremendous success in white-ball cricket with very little to show in Tests.
Despite boasting 18 ODI and two T20I centuries in 320 games, Guptill averages a paltry 29.38 in his 47 Tests.
"Why hasn’t he made it? I can say that with a lot of players. I throw Martin Guptill into that conversation. He scored a magnificent 237 not out in a World Cup game. He faced the first ball and the last ball of the innings and never looked like getting out. It was an unbelievably good innings. But the guy can't buy a run in Test matches," Smith said.
Maxwell is the sixth leading run-scorer of the ongoing World Cup with 397 runs at an average of almost 80 and a strike rate of 152.69, including a century and a double ton.
With Australia already qualified for the semi-final, the 35-year-old will hope to win his second ODI World Cup title after the 2015 triumph.