Australia's white-ball star Glenn Maxwell may not have donned the Baggy Green for seven years, but the 36-year-old believes he would be doing "injustice" to his younger self by giving up his Test cricket dream, which still burns brightly within him. From overcoming a broken leg to scoring Australia's fastest double century with his 201 in the lead-up to their 2023 World Cup triumph, Maxwell has enjoyed remarkable highs in his career.
However, his Test appearances remain limited to just seven matches, with his last outing during Australia’s 2017 tour of Bangladesh.
"I think if I gave up on that Test dream now, I don't think I'd be doing justice to that younger Glenn Maxwell who was dying to put on the baggy green when he was a kid," he tells ESPNcricinfo. "And I think while there's still a glimmer of hope, I'll keep going for it." Though his selection for the upcoming India series is unlikely, Maxwell remains committed to chasing a Test spot on the Sri Lanka tour in January after narrowly missing out in 2022.
"I think the hard thing with Test cricket is, when I grew up, that's all I wanted to do," Maxwell says. "I definitely got my chance at Test level a bit prematurely. It all happened really fast when I got my chance to debut. It was just a whirlwind. I had no idea what I was doing. I probably hadn't had the experience at first-class level that I would have liked.
"And then when I came back in 2017, I felt like I was a ready-made first-class cricketer and was really at peace with my game and where I was at. A lot of these things in Test cricket are timing. Adam Voges is probably the perfect example. He came in and he averaged 60-odd (61.87) in his Test career. He got his opportunity when he was at the top of this game." "I suppose the thing I'm proud about in my Test career -- I was able to sort of fight back at different times, get back in squads and be really resilient that way." Maxwell's lack of first-class centuries -- only seven in 69 matches, including a lone Test ton in Ranchi -- has been a hurdle for Test selection, Maxwell writes in his soon-to-be-released autobiography.
He recalls a frustrating exchange with selector Trevor Hohns during the 2017-18 season, after notching scores of 60, 64, 45 not out, 278, and 96 in consecutive games.
When Maxwell questioned his exclusion from the Ashes squad, "The answer was blunt: 'Not enough tons.'" "It's the only time I've come close to losing it in a situation like that," Maxwell writes in The Showman.
Australia's selectors have eased requirements for Shield cricket in preparing for Sri Lankan Tests, encouraging Maxwell's quiet red-ball return with Victoria's second XI. Managing a leg injury, Maxwell feels ready to adapt quickly to red-ball batting if picked for the Sri Lanka tour.
"The interesting thing about last week, even just playing the second XI game, was having a few technical changes and working through them, having a few different sets of eyes looking at your batting, and just trying to work your way through that has been really enjoyable," he says.
"I remember in 2022 (in Sri Lanka) the first couple of net sessions that I had working through all those cracks, and working through your different techniques of facing spin that's exploding, was so enjoyable. And it doesn't take long when you're really experienced in those conditions to work out a way to play over there.
"It's probably what makes Cameron Green's success over there so extraordinary, the fact that it's the first time he's played Test cricket over there in those conditions, and he was so successful and strong-minded in the way he was going to go about it. It takes a strong mind to have success over there. I'd just love to be over there." The Aussie gun allrounder also recounts his mental-health journey, his turbulent relationship with coach Justin Langer during his tenure from 2018-20.
Maxwell also reflects his past tensions with Steven Smith under his captaincy were partly his fault, but their relationship has since strengthened. Maxwell also writes about his freak golf-cart injury in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup.
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