His baggy green cap has fallen apart, but Glenn Maxwell feels his game is doing well as he hopes to end a nearly five-year absence from Test Cricket.
The hard-hitting middle-order batter and handy offspinner were recently added to the test squad for the two-game series in Sri Lanka after Travis Head suffered a hamstring injury.
Maxwell, a key member of both shorter Australian teams, has recently been starved of red-ball opportunities.
He last played a first-class match in October 2019, and the most recent of his seven Tests was in Bangladesh in September 2017.
“I did a little red-ball work in training, always trying to stay ready just in case, knowing a few Subcontinent tours were coming up, not just this year but next year as well,” said Maxwell.
“At some point, you think you would give up hope, but getting the tap on the shoulder was just so nice.”
Maxwell said he didn’t bring his baggy green cap to Sri Lanka because he thought it was overbearing and had “completely disintegrated”.
“I took it out last year and looked at it, and it got worse, and I thought, ‘that’s not a good sign,'” said Maxwell.
“My wife took it out yesterday and said, ‘I don’t think I can bring this,’ it looked awful.”
Maxwell, who played his first Test in 2013, has an average of 26 in the format, with his only score of 50 or more of 104 against India at Ranchi in 2017.
‘I have worked very hard.’
All his Test appearances have been in Asia, and the 33-year-old all-rounder believes both facets of his game are in good shape.
“With the bowling that I can regularly contribute with the ball, that’s something I’ve worked really hard on,” said Maxwell.
“I understand very well how the ball comes out of my hand.
“I think with the batting, I feel comfortable where my game is.
“I could bat consistently well in these conditions, and my footwork was pretty sharp most of the time.”
Following the tour’s T20 and ODI components, Maxwell nominated footwork as a critical factor in countering the Sri Lanka spinners in the Tests.
“I think we saw that the guys who had quick footwork, forward and back, could have success,” said Maxwell.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going over the top, but you can apply pressure with your positive intention.”
Given a chance in the Tests, Maxwell said he had no intention of changing his game plan and would enjoy the opportunity to bat for extended periods without run-rate pressure.
Australia ODI and T20 captain Aaron Finch thought Maxwell could greatly impact if selected for the tests.
“Every time he plays on the subcontinent, he has so many resources with the bat; he’s restrained with the ball,” Finch said.
“The pressure he puts on the opposition by being it is sometimes overlooked.”
