Send Maxwell back to the Shield

Much has been made of the recent decision of the Australian selectors to include Glenn Maxwell in the Test squad to play Bangladesh.

As the only spinning all-rounder among a gaggle of all-rounders vying for a spot in the Test team to replace Shane Watson (Mitch Marsh, Moises Henriques and James Faulkner), you can see that it makes sense to include him for the Bangladesh tour.

After all, the Aussies are likely to be playing on spinning pitches. One wonders, however, if they are going to replace Mitch Marsh at number six – the traditional all-rounders spot – given the promise he has shown in his Test career so far, particularly with his bowling.

My bet is that they will most likely keep Marsh at six and give him a chance to prove himself worthy of a top six batting position, which would mean there is probably no space for Maxwell in the starting XI.

If Maxwell runs drinks and subs as a fielder in Bangladesh, that is fine by me, but he should not be left doing that during the Australian summer, when New Zealand hit our shores. On Australian pitches, there will rarely be the need for more than one spinner, and if we need a part-timer, we have Steve Smith and Adam Voges that are pretty handy.

What Maxwell needs when he returns from Bangladesh is a good stint batting for the Vics in the Sheffield Shield.

I believe Maxwell has what it takes to be a Test quality batsman. So what are those attributes?

1. Talent
In bucket loads. His range of shots, technique and hand-eye coordination are excellent.

2. Confidence
Well, no doubt he has loads of that. They don’t call him ‘The Big Show’ for nothing.

3. Complementary skills
A fantastic fielder and very handy off-spinner whose talents are developing.

4. Composure under pressure
He is proven at international level and has performed when his spot has been under question in Australian limited overs sides.

5. A good first class batting record
He averages 40.42 over 35 first-class matches.

Many detractors will have you believe that he is a limited overs specialist and a bit of a hit and giggle type of a batsman, however his first-class record would tell you another story. It is a story of a middle order batsman who can get a team out of trouble and play sensible, counter-attacking innings.

The only problem is, he hasn’t played much first-class cricket over the past two years due to his commitments with the ODI and Twenty20 teams. In total, he has played only four first-class innings with Yorkshire in 2015, one first-class innings with Victoria in 2014-15 and six first-class innings with Victoria in 2013-14. A grand total of 11 first-class matches in two years.

How is he supposed to prove himself a Test-standard batsman if he doesn’t get a chance to play first-class cricket?

Anyway, we have to work with the evidence we have, so let’s start with having a look at his performances for Yorkshire over the past six months. Starting with his most recent turn out in August.

August 21, Yorkshire versus Sussex
In a drawn game, Maxwell made a solid 43 from 52 balls in a team total of almost 500. Coming in when the team already had runs on the board, his role was to keep the pace of scoring so that they would have time to bowl the other team out twice.

August 7, Yorkshire versus Durham
In the first innings, where Yorkshire was bowled out for 162, Maxwell was the second highest scorer with 32 from 39 balls. In the second innings, with Yorkshire in deep trouble at four down for 73, Maxwell scored a brilliant 140 from 144 balls in partnership with England’s Adil Rashid. He brought the team total to 6-327 when he departed, helping Yorkshire to victory.

June 7, 2015, Yorkshire versus Middlesex
Maxwell scored a first innings duck, but in a low-scoring game. He came out to bat in the second innings with Yorkshire at 4-132 and still needing 75 or so runs in a tricky chase. Maxwell scored the winning runs and finished on 23 not out from 27 balls. (He also took three wickets in the first innings.)

May 24, 2015, Yorkshire versus Somerset
In an inauspicious start to his Yorkshire career, Maxwell made 0 and two. Not a great start.

In total, Maxwell scored 240 runs at an average of spot on 40 – which is what he averages across his career. His strike rate in the high 80s was high, demonstrating his attacking nature as a batsman.

Maxwell also showed composure and match-winning qualities on a number of occasions, while contributing with the ball and no doubt with his excellent fielding.

Unfortunately, due to his commitments with the ODI team and the complications over the contracting at Yorkshire – originally they had signed Aaron Finch, but when he was injured, Maxwell stepped in to fill the gap – he only got to play four matches. Still, that was better than Shield season 2014-15.

In his one turn out for Victoria on December 9, 2014 against West Australia, Maxwell scored 24 from 43 balls in the first innings and did not bat in the second. He did take three wickets as Victoria won by 117 runs, however.

We have to go right back to the Shield season of 2013-14 for more evidence of how he might go in red ball cricket in Australian conditions. Here is his record for that season:

Matches Innings Not-outs Runs High score Average Strike rate 100s 50s
6 12 0 544 127 45.33 75.76 2 2

A pretty good average of 45 and a strike rate of 75, which was above average for that season, with most batsmen striking at between 40 and 60.

A few innings during that season really stand out.

On February 20, 2014, in a match against South Australia, Maxwell entered the fray with the Vics in trouble at 4-50 and when he departed with 119 from 162 balls, his team was in a much better position at 6-232. The Vics eventually held on for a draw.

Earlier that month, in a match against NSW, Victoria turned in an awful batting display, despite Maxwell’s best efforts to haul them out of trouble in both innings. Maxwell made 94 from 95 balls in the first innings, from a team total of only 218, and in the second innings he scored a brilliant 127 from 125 balls.

He looked like he was batting on a different track, against different bowlers compared to the rest of the hapless Victorian batsmen. In the match, which Victoria lost by an innings and 48 runs, Maxwell scored 55 per cent of Victoria’s total runs.

What the above details demonstrate, is Maxwell’s ability to bat when under pressure and to counter attack when a team is in trouble. He has done this relatively consistently too, when given a chance to play first-class cricket. His career strike rate of 76 in first-class cricket is certainly high when compared to most batsmen, but that does not mean he does not apply himself, as he does tend to go on once he makes a start.

What he is most lacking at the moment is significant consecutive first-class experience. The upcoming Shield season is the perfect opportunity for Maxwell to demonstrate to the selectors that he has what it takes long term to take up a spot in the Test team at number five or six as a batsman who can bowl a bit – not as a bits and pieces all-rounder.

The way the schedules are working this summer, if Maxwell is released from Australian duties after the Bangladesh tour he will be able to play at least the first four Sheffield Shield matches while the Test team take on New Zealand.

If, after the three-Test New Zealand series, Voges and Marsh still occupy the number five and six spots in the Test team, Maxwell will be able to play a fifth Shield game and the Big Bash League while Australia take on the West Indies.

Long term, if Maxwell is able to perform in the middle order for Victoria over the 2014-15 summer, he should be given the opportunity to take over from the ageing Voges who is really only a stop gap while we have an inexperienced batting line-up.

Mitch Marsh must also be looking over his shoulder after some unconvincing batting performances during the Ashes. It is too early to discard him already, but with six Tests over the Australian summer, he would want to have put some runs on the board by February/March.

Let’s hope that when the Test squad is announced for the New Zealand tour, Maxwell is not in it. Not because he is not a potential Test-quality batsman, but because he needs to prove it, and get some long innings under his belt.