Maxwell bets on red for Test recall

MELBOURNE: Big-hitting Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell believes his all-consuming limited-overs schedule over the past two years has made it increasingly difficult for him to push his case for Test selection.
Maxwell was overlooked for the winter Test tours to the Caribbean and British Isles by the National Selection Panel, instead earning selection in Australia A’s four-day squad to tour India in July.
The 26-year-old starred in Australia’s World Cup triumph in February and March, and was counting on his success on the world’s biggest stage to be enough to earn him a Test recall.
“I was hoping my performances against international attacks would hold me in good stead,” Maxwell told cricket.com.au from India, where he’s currently playing for Kings Punjab XI in the IPL.
“I thought I played quite well in the World Cup and a couple of games before that.
“I felt like I was in a good headspace in as far as international cricket goes.
“I knew I hadn’t played a whole lot of red-ball cricket, so I was hoping the fact that I’d been playing international cricket for Australia and that was the reason I was missing Shield cricket would hold me in good stead. “But obviously not, and I’ve just got to keep finding a way to try and play some red ball cricket.”
Maxwell is eyeing a stint in English county cricket to further his Test ambitions.
Maxwell scored 324 runs at an average of 64.80 in Australia’s triumphant World Cup campaign and had hoped his performances might have led to a recall.
However, selectors went with uncapped 35-year-old Adam Voges for the tours from June to August after the right-hander piled on a mountain of runs for Western Australia in the domestic Sheffield Shield.
One of the world’s top one-day batsmen, Melbourne man Maxwell can quickly bring an attack to its knees when on song, and boasts a dazzling array of 360-degree shots.
His forays into the Test side have been brief and unsuccessful, however.
Maxwell struggled in two Tests in 2013 against India and was brought back for one match against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last year but dropped from the squad for Australia’s 2-0 series win over India in the home summer.
Hoping to get more first class cricket under his belt, Maxwell is looking to England where he played a Championship match with Hampshire along with limited overs matches for the same team and Surrey.
A vacancy has come up at Yorkshire, where Maxwell’s World Cup team mate Aaron Finch was to have played before suffering a serious hamstring injury.
“I’ve always wanted to play county cricket and test my skills over there,” Maxwell said.
“I feel like it’s something that would really suit me and a place I can learn a lot. “My experiences with Hampshire playing in the twos (second XI) and the one Championship game I got I learnt a lot over there and really enjoyed the way the game was played.”