Glenn Maxwell and Adil Rashid both were born in 1988. Yet there is a gigantic gulf in the first-class experience of these two spinning all-rounders.
Maxwell has played a paltry 42 matches compared to Rashid’s tally of 148 fixtures.
The Victorian so rarely plays red-ball cricket that it hurt his chances of becoming a mainstay of the Test team.
Maxwell has stated time and again that his dream is to become a quality Test player. But the reality is, if he really wants to make this happen, he likely needs to cut down on his limited-overs commitments.
Maxwell’s fine first-class record – a batting average of 42 and bowling average of 39 – is better than many other Australian players who have been given decent cracks at Test cricket in recent years.
He has also has the advantage of being under the nose of the selectors due to his pivotal roles in Australia’s T20 and ODI teams.
Yet still he has played only three Tests, the last of which was 18 months ago. A major reason seems to be the fact that he simply does not play enough red-ball cricket to push his claims.
Consider the current situation. Australia’s Test No.6 Mitchell Marsh has averaged a woeful 15 with the bat across his past 12 matches, stretching back to December 2014. Yet Maxwell has not been able to put Marsh under any real pressure.
In fact, Maxwell’s red-ball stocks have fallen so far that he couldn’t even make Australia’s Test squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka, despite widespread expectations that he would be picked given the dry, turning pitches.
His infrequent appearances in first-class cricket are hurting him. Since debuting five-and-a-half years ago, Maxwell has played just seven first-class matches per year on average. In the past 12 months he has played only six red-ball fixtures.
Those matches came in the last Shield season, during which he made 392 runs at 56. Maxwell had built some momentum in the longest format.
What if he had foregone the 2016 Indian Premier League season, and instead headed to England in April to train for and then take part in a lengthy stint in the county competition?
Following his quality summer in the Shield, a prolific patch in England would surely have caught the eye of the Test selectors more than another stint in the IPL.
As it was, Maxwell had a shocking IPL season and has since also lost his spot in Australia’s starting ODI XI.
Admittedly, it is a big ask for Maxwell to overlook the million-plus dollars he can earn in a single season in India. But plenty of other cricketers around the world, including several Australian Test players, have done just that to better prepare for red-ball cricket.
The symbolism of this sacrifice, alone, would impress the Test selectors. The fact that Maxwell has been unable to crack the Test XI, despite Marsh’s calamitous batting returns, should sound an alarm for the Victorian.
If he can’t unseat a drastically underperforming rival, what happens when Marsh or someone else starts flourishing in the Test all-rounder role?
Something has to give. If Maxwell wants to offer himself the best possible chance of donning the baggy green, he must make a significant sacrifice.
A T20 player of his calibre and popularity should be able to continue playing in the IPL and other rich competitions into his late 30s. The window of opportunity for a meaningful Test career is much smaller.
Soon to turn 28 years old, Maxwell is in his prime. If you really want to tame the Test game Glenn, it’s time to make your move.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
Glenn Maxwell is basically is an ODI & T20 specialist batsman with part-time bowling capability. He can not be mentioned as an all-rounder in the true sense. He plays one good innings out of 5, means he is not consistent like say, David Warner or Virat Kohli. His possibility of getting chosen for Test side is very very remote. Hence he could not replace Mitchell.
Bakkies
Guest
Faulkner has played County Cricket.
Nudge
Guest
So he's passes 50 every second match he's plays. How's that inconsistent? Your Maxwell slagging is getting tiresome, and in my opinion embarrasing for yourself.
Andy Hill
Roar Pro
Here are the stats for 2015/16 season: Handscomb 784 runs @ 43.55 Patterson 737 runs @ 52.64 Bancroft 732 runs @ 45.75 Head 721 runs @ 36.05 Stoinis 659 runs @ 38.76 As Burgy says, there were also other batsmen who made more runs at a higher average. People seem to only remember the couple of big tons Head made last year and forget all of the failures
Craig Swanson
Guest
This would be a dead argument if Marsh has already nailed down the all rounder spot. The only place where Maxwell should be considered and even then I have reservations. Now Marsh has blossomed in the white ball game I believe it is only a matter of time before he comes good in test cricket. Once he learns to be more relaxed at the crease and play with softer hands he will score a mountain of runs for his country..
Craig Swanson
Guest
Hmmmmm. Yet to be convinced he is a good player of spin. If you mean his uncanny reverse sweeping then I say that is more good luck than good management.
BurgyGreen
Guest
Patterson, Bancroft and Handscomb all made more runs at higher averages last season, as did Renshaw and Dean, another two who might come up for discussion.
Tom M
Guest
Head had the best season last year of all those players, and scored most of his runs away from Adelaide oval
Lancey5times
Guest
I think the point is that he needs to show the selectors that he can score runs in an unlimited overs environment with a red ball. I don't think it's about learning from other players but more a case that to do one thing you invariably need to make yourself unavailable for another to some extent due to the nature of scheduling
gavjoshi
Guest
This is a ridiculous argument. Just speak to the Australian players how much they actually learn from playing in the IPL. Coulter-Nile this year spent most of his time learning reverse swing from Zaheer Khan. Travis Head spent a heck of a lot from Kohli and AB D about batting at RCB this season. Head also had a long chat with Ricky Ponting last year during IPL and credits that for his changing his fortune. Mitch Johnson got the best advice while playing in the IPL. The standard of country cricket is not like a decade ago.
Craig Swanson
Guest
Maxwell's figures are inflated by the number of not outs. He has only hit 5 tons and 16 fifties from 41 career games. THis emphasises his inconsistency.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I agree that the bar seems to be ridiculously high for Maxwell compared to other players who have played for the test side in the last decade. We went through a raft of players, Quiney and Doolan being two that immediately come to mind, who averaged far less in FC Cricket than Maxwell, without any of his fielding attributes and experience in ODI cricket, yet Maxwell consistently averages over 40, but doesn't seem to be considered.
Lancey5times
Guest
That's pretty solid. It may be that many, myself included still don't really know much about the style of cricketer he is. I initially thought of him as a hitting allrounder but he certainly is a bat. Can he dig in if need be? If he can average 45+ in the coming Shield season he should be right in the mix.
armchair expert
Guest
If Lyon wasn't entrenched in the team, Maxwell probably would of played a dozen or more tests by now, another off spinner is surplus.
Zachary Gates
Roar Guru
I absolutely agree, Ronan. I remember when Maxwell said it's his dream to play 100 matches for Australia in all three formats. The fact of the matter is that he won't be able to hone his temperament and shot selection to the point required playing in the IPL. He does need to devote more time to the Shield and County cricket. However I think the other thing holding The Big Show back is that he's not a pace-bowling all-rounder. Playing Lyon and Maxwell as the all-rounder could work on a turning pitch, such as those on the sub-continent, but otherwise Darren Lehmann would prefer someone like Marsh batting at six and letting rip thunderbolts with the ball, and rightly so in my opinion.
danno
Guest
He is going to have a career like Afridi if he is not careful. I don't recall Warner playing lots of first class cricket before being selected in Tests. If Maxwell has the talent, he deserves a chance at 6.
Gavin
Guest
Harvey. Have you heard of the T20 specialist, david warner?
Andy Hill
Roar Pro
If you look at those 7 batsmen over the past three shield seasons, here are the numbers: 2013/14- 2015/16 PSP Handscomb 48 innings, 1915 runs @ 41.63 KR Patterson 43 innings, 1512 runs @ 37.80 CT Bancroft 56 innings, 2078 runs @ 37.78 TM Head 52 innings, 1866 runs @ 36.59 MP Stoinis 42 innings,1768 runs @ 44.20 GJ Maxwell 22 innings, 960 runs @ 48.00 CA Lynn 30 innings, 1394 runs @51.63
Andy Hill
Roar Pro
Two and a half: 2013/14 he played 4 matches, scored 324 runs at an average of 46.28 2014/15 he scored 785 runs at 49.06 2015/16 he scored 659 runs at 38.76 Admittedly his 2015/16 was not as successful as 2014/15, but he still had a higher average than both Head and Lynn.
BurgyGreen
Guest
I would like him to give up the IPL for a number of reasons, but I don't think he should have to in order to get a chance. Whenever he plays FC cricket he gets runs. It often sounds like they set a higher bar for Maxwell than for others. He's got a good record and he's performed for a long time in ODIs (which are the real elephant in the room when it comes to his lack of FC games). I think that's worth a run.