Glenn Maxwell has sights set on Test comeback
Australian all-rounder Glen Maxwell believes that he will have a part to play as both batsman and bowler if he makes it to the Australia test squad. The Aussie wasn’t picked for the test series in Sri Lanka, where Moises Henriques was recalled as the back-up all-rounder. Maxwell is known for his hard hitting and the record that he holds for the fastest ever half-century in Australian domestic cricket is a testament to that.
The Victorian hasn’t played for the Australian test team since 2014 against Pakistan. The Kings XI Punjab man had a dismal IPL campaign after being injured, having played eleven games. He scored a paltry 179 runs in this renditions IPL, but he hopes to come back into the Australian line-up in the future.
"Competing with Nathan Lyon is always going to be tough," Maxwell said. "I've just got to improve my batting to the point where they can't resist having me as an all-rounder and a back-up to him," he added.
"I don't think I can rest on just being a batsman. I know Steve Smith went that way when he lost his Test spot, not really bowling much at all. But I don't think I can go that direction. I have to keep working on both parts of my game and make sure they're good enough," said the Kings XI Punjab man after being asked if he would take the same route as fellow Australian Steve Smith, who took a similar approach after losing his test team spot.
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He is determined to win his place back in the team, as he withdrew his name from the NatWest T20 blast in England, giving himself more time to prepare for the upcoming domestic season.
“I’ve decided not to play in England for the first time if four years. It might be a good chance to get a pre-season under my belt and spend a bit of time working on my game,” he added.
Maxwell's main focus is getting into the squad for the tour of West Indies. "If I can make some runs then and also hopefully in Sri Lanka for the one-day series, it still puts pressure on those guys in the squad," he added.
He ended by saying: “I was obviously a bit disappointed initially but having a look at the squad they’ve picked for Sri Lanka, I can understand. They’ve got all bases covered. I think it’s a squad that is going to win the series. It’s really a strong squad and I fully understand why I’m not in.”