Glenn Maxwell has arrived as a Test batsman, but can he stay?

Your spot on with the Maxwell chips down character. I think he has proven time and again that he loves a battle. Mitch Marsh has rarely delivered under pressure. Khawaja is not the same character but a fine and talented batsmen. Like Cullinen he has always struggled against spin and is very much a confidence player. He can be intimidated unlike Maxwell, Warner, and Smith who even when they fall cheaply believe in themselves.

You argue with an unjustifiable premise. These selectors...and the panel preceding...have presided over a total turnover of cricket talent...with great success. Some of the retired players are all time greats...and yet we have had very few flat patches with their replacements. Our selectors have had us constantly at or near the top despite the exit of talent. If they are being paid big dollars (which I very much doubt), they have earned it. You call it favoritism or racism or incompetence because the selections are not your selections. Well, Chris, you are just wrong. They have got a lot right. Have you not been watching or reading about their current form in India? Where is the 4-0 you predicted with your gloom and doom, half-empty glass?

Can we not expect that cricket Australia does the right thing by the country and the fans by paying big salaries to selectors that should be doing the same. But we get incompetence and favouritism with nothing objectively to back it up and we should sit back and let it happen? We'd go into the toilet pretty quick with out this level of scrutiny.

Yes Don , he was a very good player . I saw him play often and was pretty classy. His test average of 45 doesn't do him justice. When Devon Malcolm devastated SA at the Oval taking 9/54 Cullinan remained undefeated on 94 . The fact the Warnie had his number is nothing to be ashamed of . Many other good players are also on that litst.

Then make the criticism of the selectors...not of the players. Even then...why the bitterness, sadness or anger? It is a sport....a source of delight. Live in England or India if you want to whinge.

Don, the bitterness isn't directed at Marsh but the selectors that have shown such blatant favouritism for such a long time. The fact Marsh was selected for the tour let alone be played for the first two tests should result in he sacking of all the selectors that backed him. He was dropped from the side because of poor form, went back to shield and performed even worse then brought straight back in while Cartwright gets a solitary chance. Maxi has shown his talent for the world to see for years now. He was marvellous during the World Cup and hasn't played near the amount of shield cricket due to other commitments with ODI/T20 to base a non selection on. Especially if you're basically giving M Marsh 24 almost straight tests with ZERO form.

Oh wow, David Warner is a wonderful batsmen but only has proven form on flat tracks. Based on his career to date, it's pretty clear that he is a flat track bully. Comparing opening batsmen via way of centuries against lower middle order batsmen is plain ass clownery.

Was Darryl Cullinan good once?

Everybody considered Benaud to be an all rounder.

As an outsider I don't get emotionally involved on Aussie team selections etc. but as something of a fan of the team ( I have always enjoyed their approach to the game ) , I am a bit mystified as to why Maxwell was not in ages ago . He strikes me as the type of cricketer you want around especially when the chips are down. Thought you really missed him in the SA series. The other exclusion that I don't get is Khawaja . Looks a class act to me . I've heard and read all the arguments about personality issues over Maxwell and Khawaja not being able to play spin but don't get them . Manage the players . Often the most difficult are some of the best . Think Kevin Pietersen, Darryl Cullinen , Phil Tufnell, Brian Lara and many more. The team is taking sooo long to find its best side that one has to look at selection and ask the questions. Finally Marsh does not look the part at this stage of a top flight campaigner.............Just rambling.

Seriously that is a ridiculous comparison. There is way more opportunity to score centuries in tests. Walters and Gilchrist played plenty. Maxwell has played 4. It is much easier to rack up ODI centuries if you are an opener like Gilchrist. Maxwell comes in at 5 or below. Not a good effort at all.

And you have pigeon holed Maxwell!

Benaud batted at 8, did he not? Alan Davidson was the all rounder in the test team of that era, so no idea why a comparison with Marsh the Lesser's batting average is relevant.

What are you talking about Don? I didn't raise any argument or comparison, you did. All I've done is point out that they're not comparable as players, one was a genuine bowling all rounder who batted down the order and was world class. The other is batting in the top six, so selected as a batting all rounder and is not fulfilling that role. The only reason any comparison is interesting is to note that Benaud averaged more the bat and still batted lower in the order and was able to be a world class front line bilwer. And the batting averages are three runs different, 24 v 21, make sure you contextualise accurately.

Apart from his first couple of tests, when Marsh looked like he may deliver everything the selectors could see in his "promise to be the Aussie Andrew Flintoff". He just hasn't looked like he belongs in test cricket. It isn't form, confidence and health. Its deeper than. I wonder if he knows in his heart that a test number six needs to average more than low 20's in first class cricket. (Its 28 now but was 24 when he debuted) He has tried different approaches but until he believes he belongs, he won't. I would imagine believing is easier when you average 40, rather than 20 odd.

Nobody considered Benaud a batting all-rounder and he didn't bat at six very often. Its not Mitch Marsh's fault that the selectors have set him up to fail, by selecting him too soon and batting him too high in the order. Many of us wanted, hoped even dreamed for Mitch to succeed where Shane Watson, had all too often, let us down. When Marsh was dropped earlier this summer, we all thought the selectors had finally grasped hold of reality when they admitted that Mitch wasn't a batting all-rounder. That never prevented them from making the same mistake of selecting him to bat at six yet again. Still, we hoped that Mitch would finally turn promise into performance, potential into product. However, Marsh was still his own worst enemy at test level, continuing to arm his detractors with plenty of ammunition, especially those seeking a specialist batsman to occupy the number six spot. The probability is that Maxwell has, in one mature disciplined innings, where he played like a specialist batsman, made Mitch Marsh test stock market prices crash through the floor. Domestic 4 day runs are now the only currency Mitch works with, so far as test recall goes. He will have short format opportunities and rightly so, but for his test career, red ball runs are gold.

Marsh is a lousy batter and a mediocre bowler at Test level. Benaud was a great bowler and a handy batter. He'd have been selected if he had no batting ability.

Sorry this is a different dave maybe one of us can change name to davo. Anyway I love having Maxwell in the team.The 5th bowler is only really there to give the others a rest without leaking too many runs and occasionally snaring a wicket.Maxwell can do this and he adds so much with the bat.This test match could be heading for a draw but Smith now has a new card up his sleeve.In our 2nd innings we will need quick runs and a declaration.Send Maxwell to open with Warner and tell them to go for it.If they both go quickly we have Renshaw Handscome and Smith to steady the ship. I really like the look of this Aussie team right now,Renshaw has been awesome Maxwell fits in perfectly we have good bowling depth replace Marsh with Kawaja and our top5 is solid. Just need a good wicketkeeper and this team could have some serious long term success.

If he was a NSWelshman no doubt he would have already played 50 tests..

T20 tons, in the context of test cricket, should be considered "Monopoly money". They have no worth away from that specific game, no matter how many hotels you have on Mayfair and Park Lane. Given how flat modern limited overs pitches are, even centuries in that format need a "not to be taken seriously" label when considering test batting prospects. However, given that you have used them, comparing Walters career with Maxwell's is pointless. It was a different world then, especially in ODI. 220 was a competitive total and 70 runs was man of the match. Now 220 is a target for the 35-40 over mark. Compare Maxwell with Shane Watson instead. Tests- 4 tons from 109 innings. ODI- 9 tons from 169. T20- 1 ton from 56. 14 international tons from 334 starts, one every 24 starts. Mitch Marsh perhaps- Tests- 0 from 35 innings. ODI- 1 ton from 44. T20- 0 from 9. I century from 88 starts. Maxwell's innings was most surprising. Of course, I had heard Glenn share how important test cricket is to him. I had even heard him talk about his new found maturity as a player. I just hadn't seen any evidence of it. Now I have. Am I sold on Maxwell at six? No way, but I am keen to see if this was an out of body experience that's never to be repeated (like Tony Mann's 105 in Perth, 1977) or the start of something wondrous.