Smith, Warner set multi-format benchmark

Limited-overs star Glenn Maxwell doesn’t believe Twenty cricket and the fortunes on offer in competitions such as the Indian Premier League are affecting the quality of Test cricket.

Maxwell, currently in Southampton with the Australia squad preparing for Thursday night’s opening ODI against England, said that regardless of the increasing prevalence of the limited-overs versions of the sport, the best players were still capable of rising to the top in all three formats.

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“David Warner and Steve Smith have been extremely successful in all three formats and they're guys that do rake in the big deals in the shorter formats,” Maxwell told Perth radio station 6PR.

“They're able to adjust through the gears.

“Steve Smith is the No.1 (Test) batter in the world at the moment but also an unbelievable T20 player.”

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Smith, who led all run-scorers in the recently concluded Ashes series, underlined Maxwell’s point on Tuesday morning (AEST) with a stunning 90 off 53 balls on his T20 international captaincy debut.

And as Australia’s leading run-scorer in T20 internationals, Warner has regularly shone across all three formats.

Maxwell suggested that was the objective that he’d prefer to see players striving to achieve, with the right-hander having previously made no secret of the fact he’s desperate to add to his two-Test tally.   

“Certain guys have got to decide what they want to achieve in what format and how they're going to make their careers as long as possible,” he said.

“Whether that's deciding you're going to play as much T20 cricket around the world as you can, or if you really want to play Test cricket and go further in that.

“I think if you're a good enough cricketer to play for Australia in any format, I think you should be trying to push for all three.”

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The 26-year-old said the ODI squad was enjoying the opportunity to begin afresh following the disaster of the Ashes, rather than letting Australia’s poor display in that series have a negative influence.

“I don't think this group (ODI squad) is feeling any pressure from the Ashes,” he added. “It's been pretty refreshing to be back in the Australian dressing room.

“Our last series before this was that World Cup and all we want to do is continue that World Cup-winning form.

“None of the chat has been about rectifying the Ashes or anything like that.

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“It's a different group and it's a different format. It's a format we're extremely comfortable with and something we're really looking forward to (with) this one-day series.”

With national selector Rod Marsh having stated that ODI runs and wickets can advance a player’s cause to be selected in the Test arena, Maxwell is looking at the bilateral tournament as an opportunity to impress.  

“I think performances in this one-day series could go a long way to seeing who is picked in that side (to tour Bangladesh) now there' a few gaps opening up in that (Test) team,” he said.

“Hopefully I can push my name forward and be one of those guys.”