Maxwell hoping for Test team tweak

Limited-overs star Glenn Maxwell’s talents as an off-spinner have again helped him earn selection on an Asia-based Test tour.

Maxwell was included in Australia’s 15-man squad for the Qantas tour of Bangladesh, announced today, having previously played his three Tests in India (two) and the UAE (one) in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

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And having firmly established himself in his country’s ODI and Twenty20 squads, the 26-year-old is intent on doing the same at Test level.

“I’m obviously pretty excited,” Maxwell said. “It’s been a long work in progress, the last few months – playing over here (in England’s County Championship) and trying to play as much red-ball cricket as I can and it’s paid off with the selection.

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“Hopefully I can get a few games and stay on that team.

“It seems I’m a bit of a subcontinent specialist at the moment, so hopefully I can turn that into (being) just a Test specialist and really stay in that squad, because it’s a place where I want to be.

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“I want to be in all three formats, and while I’m hitting the ball really well in one-day cricket at the moment I really want to carry that over into the red-ball stuff, and hopefully stay in that team for a long time.”

Maxwell played four first-class matches in Yorkshire’s championship-winning campaign, returning a mixed bag of scores that included a top of 140 and a couple of ducks.

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In seven innings, he averaged 40.66 – in line with his career first-class mark of 40.42 – but it is his off-spin bowling that elevates him above other contenders for a spot in Australia’s middle order.

And if Australia coach Darren Lehmann opts to continue with his preferred method of three fast bowlers and a spinner, regardless of the conditions, Maxwell could get the nod ahead of perhaps Mitchell Marsh and slot in at No.6.

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“I’d like to be five or six, play that middle-order role and be that extra spinner that the Australian team needs,” he said.

“To give ‘Gaz’ that extra help at the other end would be nice and I’d love to be batting in the middle order and scoring some big runs for us.

“It would be nice to play a couple of Tests in a row and get some momentum. I’ve had a taste of it … I just really want to have that time to really settle in and feel comfortable, the same way I have in the one-day and T20 side, so (it’s about) getting that time in the middle and getting that time in the team.”

Maxwell, who has 49 first-class wickets to his name and averages 39 across 35 first-class matches, doesn’t believe the fact that he and first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon turn the ball the same way would have any bearing on his selection.

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“I think we’re different types of off-spinners,” he said. “He’s obviously a little bit more over the top (in his action) and gets a lot more spin and bounce, and I feel like I can work well with him.

“We’ve bowled together in India before and done quite well together, so it would be nice to bowl in partnership with him and do really well for Australia.”

A superstar in India due to his performances with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, Maxwell is a seasoned hand when it comes to acclimatising to a country that was once considered very much an unknown for touring Australia teams.

“(The key is) probably the preparation you have in the weeks leading up to (the tour),” he said. “It’s getting used to the conditions – it’s obviously a lot slower, and the spin is a lot more excessive.

“And (it’s about) really adapting – I think that’s something I’ve been really good at, adapting to different conditions, so hopefully that holds me in good stead, and having seven or eight previous subcontinent tours can help me as well.”