Method behind Glenn Maxwell’s omission from Test squad revealed

Cricket Australia’s decision to omit experienced names like Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb and Joe Burns from the 15-man Test squad for the series against Pakistan has surprised many. The bewilderment caused by these omissions has been compounded due to the men who have replaced the trio in the squad. Uncapped players Aaron Finch, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head have been called up instead.

Cricket Australia though has revealed the true reason behind the big changes, as reported by cricket.com.au

The Australian cricket board has put in three stringent criteria for selection of batsmen, which has led to the big names being dropped. These include -

The concentration required to score hundreds: Australia coach Justin Langer has been bullish about the need for top order batsmen to score big in all formats of cricket. He wants his leading batsmen to be able to make the most of a good start and score big centuries to help the team post big totals.

The importance of 30-plus scores: This is being looked as a key metric by CA in order to solve the issue of batting collapse. Australia have suffered from such collapses during their tours of India and Sri Lanka respectively and they are looking to change that against Pakistan.

Performance under pressure: With the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner out of the team, CA wants the new batsmen to be able to cope with pressure of playing international cricket in difficult conditions. It is believed this metric was used while looking at players who were part of the Australia A team which recently played against India A.

Eyebrows though have been raised by a lot of people because Glenn Maxwell is widely regarded as one of the best players of spin bowling in Australia. His performance in India against the rampaging duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin showed what he brings to the table in challenging conditions. Peter Handscomb too impressed with his gritty performances in India.

Only time will tell whether the decision to omit these experienced batsmen would work for the team or backfire.

First Published: Sep 13, 2018 16:02 IST