Maxwell pushing for early return with eye to World Cup

Glenn Maxwell could make a surprise return to international cricket later this month in New Zealand as part of the mercurial allrounder's plan for a T20 binge in the lead-in to this year's World Cup.

Maxwell was recalled by Australia for the first time since taking a mental health break earlier in the summer but his comeback was nixed when he was forced to undergo surgery on his left elbow last month.

The six-to-eight-week suggested recovery period looked to have ended his summer but the 31-year-old has been in close contact with new selector George Bailey and has now resumed light batting drills.

He is now pushing for inclusion in Australia's final assignment of the season, a three-game T20 tour in NZ from March 24-29.

The Indian Premier League then beckons, where Maxwell will return to his former side Kings XI Punjab after being purchased for AUD$2.2m in this year's auction – a fact he discovered while in a hotel bar on the Gold Coast during the KFC BBL.

"When I got the news that I needed surgery, I had to map out a bit of a plan of how I wanted my year to go and depending on how my elbow recovers … is going to be key on when my return date is," Maxwell told cricket.com.au.

"I'm still hoping for that New Zealand T20 series over there and if I can get up for that, I think that would be a great lead-in to the IPL and the rest of the year leading up to that World Cup hopefully.

"I'm trying to give myself as many opportunities to play T20 cricket this year and get myself right for that T20 World Cup."

Maxwell revealed he had been playing hurt during the latter stages of the Big Bash, including the final in which his Melbourne Stars once again fell short of a maiden title.

"Pretty much every session I'd start off in a bit of pain – I'd try to get through that and find a way to play pain free," he said. "Once I got through that (initial pain) I felt I was ready and once adrenaline takes over (in a game) you feel like you're ready to go.

"Towards the finals it started to get worse … I had the final and I was still in a bit of pain and got told by the surgeon that it requires surgery urgently.

"It was a bit of a shock to me and changed my plans a bit."

In constructing a playing itinerary that consists entirely of short-format cricket over the winter, Maxwell could conceivably not face a red ball until after the T20 World Cup, to be played in Australia in October-November.

After the IPL, he will head to England for an eight-match T20 stint with Lancashire for a second season before linking up with London Spirit in the new Hundred competition in July.

His involvement in those domestic competitions bookend Australia's limited-overs tour of the UK in July, while the ICC's Future Tours Programme also has white-ball series against Zimbabwe, West Indies and India penciled in ahead of the World Cup.

It shapes as the ideal lead-in for the country's leading T20 batsman in recent times; since the beginning of 2016, Maxwell has averaged 46 with a strike-rate above 160 while also hitting three centuries.

Australia have risen to No.2 in the T20I rankings and Maxwell believes other nations should be wary as they chase the only major international trophy their men's team has not won.

"In the T20 format I've had a lot of success especially over the last four or five years," he said.

"I'm really proud of the work I've put into the T20 internationals, being able to adapt to different situations and being able to score three hundreds for Australia in that format.

"It's not the easiest place to bat, the middle order, but to be able to have success there and help the team get better … I'm proud.

"We've moved our way up the rankings and into a position where teams should probably fear us on our home soil."

Maxwell is eager to make amends for his 50-over World Cup last year, which he went in as a crucial cog in Australia's middle order but finished with only 177 runs at 22.12 as the title holders went down to eventual champions England in the semi-finals.

He was subsequently dropped from the one-day side in January.

His struggles in the UK were a stark contrast to the previous World Cup in which he averaged 64.80 and struck a record-breaking century (his lone ODI hundred) to see the Aussies lift the silverware for a fifth time.

Despite his sub-par returns he maintains his preparation was close to ideal; instead of entering the lucrative IPL auction, he played six one-dayers for Lancashire in April to acclimatise to English conditions.

He now hopes his increased focus on T20s this year pays off come October.

"I did the same thing last year for the one-day World Cup heading into that," said Maxwell.

"I went over to Lancashire instead of playing in the IPL, there were (six) one-day games for Lancashire in English conditions which was ideal preparation.

"Unfortunately, the results didn't quite work out the way I would have liked but the method behind the madness was absolutely perfect.

"I gave myself the best chance to perform over there and I was really happy with the decision I made."

Australia's Qantas T20 tour of New Zealand

First T20: March 24, University Oval, Dunedin, 4pm AEDT

Second T20: March 27, Eden Park, Auckland, 9pm AEDT

Third T20: March 29, Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 4pm AEDT