Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has finally opened up about being snubbed by the Test team on the tour of Sri Lanka. The off-spinner was in the running for selection due to his ability to play spin and experience in sub-continent conditions.
However, the Australian selection committee, led by chief selector George Bailey, decided to go with some young faces and provide them with the experience of touring the Indian subcontinent. Along with Maxwell, fast bowler Mitchell Marsh also could not find a place in the team.
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Glenn Maxwell breaks silence on his omission from Australia's Test squad against Sri Lanka
After being dropped from the squad, Glenn Maxwell broke his silence and gave a mature answer. While he wanted to be part of the team, he understood that the selectors were keen to give the youngsters a valuable experience very different from that in Australia.
“It's just a choice. There will always be people who want to be there and I've made no secret that I very much want to be on that tour, but I can completely understand their reasons,” Maxwell was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press. dad).
Maxwell also claimed that Australia's confirmation of the World Test Championship final played a big role in his omission. He feels the selectors had no pressure to win which allowed them to ignore his valuable experience in the subcontinent and test younger players.
He congratulated the youngsters on their selection and is excited to watch players like Cooper Connolly on their first Test tour. He also claimed that he would have made the same decision had he been in the selector's seat.
“The fact that they have already reached the final of the World Test Championship, they have played some Tests in Sri Lanka and there will be some tours of the subcontinent over the next few years, so they will have to look like a little bit new guys in those conditions.”
Glenn Maxwell's piloting career
Glenn Maxwell has been a vital part of Australia's white-ball teams for several years but has not played Test cricket since 2017. His last Test match came against Bangladesh in Chattogram 38 and 25 across both innings in Australia's win.
Overall, he played 7 Tests and scored 339 runs at an average of 26.07 with a hundred. His only ton came against India in 2016 in Ranchi when he smashed a patient 104 off 185 balls on a slow pitch. At the age of 36, it seems unlikely that he will get a chance to play Test cricket again.
Glenn Maxwell's form in the BBL
While out of Test contention, Glenn Maxwell's form in white-ball cricket looks impressive. The all-rounder recently smashed 90 off 52 deliveries with 4 fours and 10 sixes for the Melbourne Stars in a Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Renegades.
His knock came when his team was under immense pressure for bowling a score of less than 100 runs. However, Maxwell played one of the best innings in the history of the tournament to lead his team to a good first innings total. The Stars later went on to win the match.
