"I was shattered when I got told" - Glenn Maxwell on his exclusion from the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell recently revealed that he felt 'shattered' after missing out on playing the second Test held in Sri Lanka. The swashbuckling batter stated that the thought of playing Test cricket again excited him.
Maxwell, whose last of his seven Tests came in 2017, was exceptionally close to playing in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. However, the 33-year-old missed out as Australia have decided to go with Travis Head due to the conditions.
JUST IN: Glenn Maxwell has been added to Australia's Test squad to face Sri Lanka - he last played a Test in September 2017 #SLvAUS https://t.co/Fs1ExOW0AE
Speaking about his exclusion from the second Test, the right-handed batter said he was keen to play the format again and had formulated tactics to play spin. However, the Aussie did admit that the conditions were more suited for Head to play.
The spin-bowling all-rounder said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"I was shattered when I got told. I really wanted to play. I loved being a part of it and I loved the thought of playing again. I felt like I was ready again. I loved working with the coaches and coming up with new tactics to deal with difficult spin bowling and balls exploding.
"I'm glad Heady got through his fitness test because I'd have hated to be in because of an injury to one of your players. If it was the same conditions for both Tests, I probably would have played. But they made a slightly better wicket and the selectors made the right call."
The Victorian is one of the most sought-out players in white-ball cricket, mainly due to his ability to strike big from the get-go. Maxwell can also bowl off-spin and his exceptional fielding skills is an added bonus.
"It's certainly nice to have support" - Glenn Maxwell on playing Test cricket
The veteran cricketer also admitted to having more support now than ever before for Test cricket despite playing plenty of unorthodox shots. Speaking about the support he currently has, Glenn Maxwell said:
"It's certainly nice to have support, where I feel like I probably didn't have that in the early days of my Test career. It was probably the other way around, where it was just like, no, can't have this guy in the team. So it's sort of nice to see it change.
"When I came back into the side in 2017, it felt like there was a real shift of positivity coming my way, which was rare. For so long, whenever I played a reverse sweep, it was frowned upon and it's become a staple of Test cricket wherever you play in the world."
A maiden Test century for Glenn Maxwell! It comes in just his fourth Test #IndvAus https://t.co/8yso7XeqmP
Maxwell, who has a Test hundred in India, remains likely to be in contention for the four-Test tour next year.