- Glenn Maxwell is ready for a shock test booster
- Follows the 35-year-old’s World Cup exploits in India
- His status as an all-rounder could be invaluable on the subcontinent
Glenn Maxwell’s World Cup exploits could give the ‘Big Show’ a priceless opportunity to force his way back into the Australian Test team.
The 35-year-old, who has played seven Tests in his career, is expected to be included in the squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in January 2025.
While his blistering 40-ball century against the Netherlands and his incredible unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan showed his obvious quality with the bat, it was Maxwell’s off-spin that would have caught the eye.
By the time Australia chooses its team to tour the subcontinent, Maxwell will be 36, but his passion for Test cricket would be as strong as ever.
What could work against Maxwell is that the International Cricket Council (ICC) – cricket’s governing body – expels Sri Lanka from the global game this week, citing “political interference”.
Glenn Maxwell’s World Cup exploits could give the ‘Big Show’ a priceless opportunity to force his way into the Australian Test team.
The 35-year-old has played seven Tests in his career, all in Asia, a statistic Maxwell is keen to change.
Sri Lanka has been suspended by the ICC for “seriously failing to fulfill its obligations as a member” after its government’s baffling decision to sack the SLC board.
An interim committee was hastily set up to manage the country’s cricket programmes, headed by former captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
The move angered the ICC and followed Sri Lanka’s disappointing World Cup campaign, which saw it win just two of its nine matches.
Meanwhile, the path Maxwell chooses to follow will intrigue many fans.
If, as widely expected, T20 cricket seeks to establish a new world order, led by the riches offered to players in the Indian Premier League, the traditional form of the game could suffer.
Maxwell will be in high demand thanks to his prowess at the crease, and given he will be in the twilight of his career in 2025, the money might be too good to turn down.
But Maxwell has previously said he feels he has unfinished business at Test level, with all seven of his Tests being played in Asia.
He missed the India tour earlier this year after breaking his leg during a friend’s 50th birthday celebrations and was overlooked during the 2022 trip to Sri Lanka.
The last time Maxwell wore his baggy green was in 2017 against Bangladesh.
In August last year he told cricket.com.au he was keen for another opportunity at first-class level.
“Having that taste of just being in the Test squad (against Sri Lanka in 2022) was so exciting and invigorating and reminded me of where I want to be,” he said at the time.
“It’s something I’ve made no secret of, and something I really want to play Test cricket again.”
