SL vs AUS | McDonald awaits the possibility of Maxwell’s Test return

Andrew McDonald, the newly-appointed Australia coach, has left the door ajar for star performer Glenn Maxwell for him to make an extraordinary return to Test cricket during the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Maxwell joined the white-ball squad last week for the month-long tour of Sri Lanka but missed out closely on making the cut on coming back for the Test format of the game. This limited-overs specialist has played only seven Tests, and the latest of those was back in 2017 against Bangladesh in Chattogram.

While talking about the maestro all-rounder, McDonald versed in Maxwell’s expertise with bat and ball and how great Maxwell can perform in the sub-continent. 

“It is always a contemplation (to include Maxwell), and I think with 32 players being there (in Sri Lanka) at the one point in time, all options are still open,” the head coach pointed out on SEN radio.

“So you never know what is going to happen. He has got a great record in the sub-continent, and in India in particular with that hundred in Ranchi, and he can also give us an off-spin,” McDonald commented. 

McDonald expressed that selectors needed to stay loyal to the team that performed so fine and secured the narrow ‘1-0’ series triumph against Pakistan away from home in March.

“There was a small discussion about what it (including Maxwell) potentially looked like, but (we felt we needed to) reward the team that went to Pakistan and how that squad went about its work,” he stated.

Australia have picked Nathan Lyon and Jon Holland as front-line spinners for the Lankan tour, but their batting calibres can be questioned. Among batting all-rounders - who can roll their arms as spinners - there are Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Travis Head; however, no one is at par with Maxwell.