The Roar - The pros and cons of selecting Glenn Maxwell for the third Test
The Roar’s Tim Miller discusses why Glenn Maxwell should, and should not, be the replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh in the 3rd Test against India. While the writer raves about Maxwell’s ability to win a game in a session, he points out that the same aggressiveness could also be his undoing.
Pros
Maxwell can win you a game in a session. His hell-for-leather batting approach can demoralise bowling attacks, force defensive field changes, and turn a position of weakness into one of strength.
In the second Test at Bengaluru, Australia, led by Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh, did supremely well to bat out the entirety of Day 2 on a devilishly tricky wicket. But a collapse on the morning of Day 3, losing 4/7, saw them take just an 87-run lead into the second innings.
Cons
The thought of Maxwell walking in to bat with the score at 4-140 or similar, with the match evenly poised, fills me with dread. There’s no question he can bat, but his application at the top level has been wanting in his three previous Tests.
The memory of him batting at second drop in the second Test against Pakistan in 2014 with the team 2-34, having conceded 570 in the first innings, belting 37 from 28 balls before being bowled going for a heave over the top (all the with nightwatchman Lyon showing admirable restraint at the other end) is unlikely to leave the minds of the Australian public for some time.