After being ignored for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell revealed that he was in his whites with the baggy green on his head when he learnt about his exclusion.
Being ignored for the Test squad especially after the fact the team is undergoing a transition was a tough thing to believe for the all-rounder.
As quoted by The Indian Express, Maxwell said, “29-year-old.
“It took a while to sink in that’s for sure,” he said.
“It may sound extremely funny but when I actually got the phone call yesterday I was actually wearing the baggy green, as extraordinary as it might sound.
“I was doing a shoot for one of the sponsors and we were fully in our whites and had the baggy green on and I got the call while it was on top of my head,” he added.
The 29-year old has featured in seven Tests for Australia in the past five years with his last Test coming against Bangladesh in Chittagong, that too a year ago.
But with the Australian side in a rebuilding phase with big names like Steve Smith, David Warner banned, it was a perfect opportunity for someone like Maxwell to cement his spot in the Tim Paine’s team.
Instead, the Australian Test squad saw a host of new faces in the form of fast-bowling all-rounder Michael Nesser, batsman Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. Maxwell wasn’t even a part of the Australia A squad.
Even Australia’s limited-overs specialist Aaron Finch who hasn’t played a Test match yet was named in the team.
Speaking to Cricket Australia’s website, former captain Ricky Ponting said that he felt that Maxwell’s exclusion was bizarre.
“That’s all a bit bizarre to me. If I was ‘Maxie’ and I hadn’t been given the chance to play for Australia A, I’d be ropeable,” he said.
Maxwell had a good outing for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield this summer where he averaged 50.50 but national team head coach Justin Langer said that he wasn’t convinced by the hard-hitting all-rounder’s ability to stay at the crease for a long time.
Maxwell, who has scored just one hundred in his young Test career so far said, “I was still disappointed, don’t get me wrong.
“I just need to make more runs and hopefully I can pile on enough runs this summer to keep pushing my case forward.”