Glenn Maxwell says Test selectors were right to overlook him for Sri Lanka tour

Glenn Maxwell, after delivering what he admitted was the best Big Bash League performance of his career, conceded he would have made the same decisions as the Australian selectors. He also reflected on a decision that may have ended his Test career. Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh were notable absentees from the 16-man squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, with uncapped 21-year-old Cooper Connolly chosen to replace the two veteran all-rounders.

Maxwell, whose last first-class cricket appearance was 18 months ago, has been eager to add to his seven Test caps. However, the 36-year-old has no issue with the selectors’ focus on the future, as Australia has already secured their spot in the World Test Championship final. Maxwell stated, "It's just selection, there's always going to be people who are keen to get picked, and I'm not going to hide that I'm very keen to go on that tour, but I completely understand their reasoning."

Maxwell further explained, "They've already got into the World Test Championship final, there's a couple of Tests in Sri Lanka, and there's some subcontinent tours coming up in the next few years, so they've got an opportunity to have a look at some new players in those conditions. What a valuable experience it is for those guys – Cooper Connolly on his first Test tour, I would've made the same decision as them, for sure." Maxwell has not played a Test match since 2017 and seems unlikely to regain a national spot in the longest format of the game.

After smashing 90 runs off 52 balls in the Melbourne Stars' BBL derby win over the Renegades, Maxwell is not planning on making any grand pronouncements about his Test future. He rescued his team from a precarious position with a masterful display of power-hitting at Docklands Stadium on Sunday night. The experienced all-rounder contributed all 81 runs in a crucial eighth-wicket partnership with tailender Usama Mir (five balls for no score), guiding the Stars from 7-75 to 165 after being sent in to bat.

Novak Djokovic was among the fans who witnessed the early stages of Maxwell's blistering innings, relaxing in a corporate box before participating in the Australian Open. However, the tennis superstar left early, missing the majority of the fireworks as Maxwell hit 10 sixes and four fours to turn the game around for the Stars. Maxwell protected the tail exceptionally well throughout his innings, but he felt it was far from a perfect batting display. Maxwell said, "I was probably mishitting it every two or three balls, and depending on how the wicket was playing, I was just trying to put enough pressure on them so I could get a high ball or a slightly wider ball that I could swing my arms at or get some leverage on."

Maxwell continued, "I still felt like I was hitting it a bit off the toe, not hitting the middle of the bat, and there were a few mishits that went into the leg side. But, knowing my game plan was simple – to try and hold the strike for as long as I could – I could wait for a ball that I could actually hit out of the middle and hopefully connect. When we were seven down, it forced me to take some action, I didn't want to expose the tail." The result keeps the Stars' finals hopes alive with one regular season game remaining, against the Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday. Maxwell stated, "I'm not going to plan anything for the future right now, I'm looking forward to a week off and Sunday."