Glenn Maxwell sacrifices IPL season in a bid to return to Australia Test squad

Did the match-turning and eventually winning century from Cheteshwar Pujara in Adelaide have a deep impact on Australian batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell? Pujara came up with a 123 against all odds and backed it with a 71 in the second innings to make up for everybody else’s failure and saw India bagging a memorable win in the match to go 1-0 up in the four-Test series. And if we may recall here, Pujara hasn’t played the bang-bang cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after 2014.

Maxwell has recently said that he will not play the lucrative T20 league in India next year and instead play a full season of county cricket in England to back his pursuit for a spot in the Australian Test side. Though known for his abilities in limited-over cricket, the Victoria cricketer has eyes on making a name in the longer format as well but has managed to play just seven Test matches since making debut against India in 2013. Maxwell, who has a ton in Tests, last played in a longer format game against Bangladesh in 2017 and failed to make the cut in the ongoing four-match series versus India at home.

The 30-year-old, who has been a popular name in the IPL, will join Joe Burns and James Faulkner, who has represented Australia on the international stage in the past, at the county side of Lancashire and play in all three formats.

‘Thought of playing Test cricket again still burns deep’

“This is a pretty clear sign I still want to play Test cricket,” Maxwell was quoted by Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper on December 12. “To knock back a chance to play IPL was a big decision, and a tough decision. It’s not something you make lightly, but the thought of playing Test cricket again still burns deep.” Maxwell has played for a number of franchises in the IPL – the last being Delhi Daredevils (now named Delhi Capitals) in 2018 which released him after a poor show – scoring 1,397 in 69 matches at an average of 23 and strike rate of 161-plus and six half-centuries.

Maxwell was also overlooked for Australia’s Test series against Pakistan in the UAE despite the fact that it featured a number of uncapped players.

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