Former Test spinner Bryce McGain believes it’s time the Australian Test selectors dust off Glenn Maxwell’s baggy green after the Victorian’s stunning BBL century on Wednesday night.
Maxwell laid waste to the Hobart Hurricanes bowlers on his way to an unbeaten 154 from 64 deliveries, partnered by Marcus Stoinis (75* from 31), who had no trouble keeping pace.
The pair put on 132 runs after Stoinis joined Maxwell for the beginning of the 12th over, propelling the Stars to a BBL record total of 2-273.
“Didn’t Maxwell cash in? Right from ball one he went after it,” McGain marvelled on SEN Breakfast.
“His move to the top order has been fantastic, he’s just played with complete freedom knowing he’s got a full line-up below him.
“There were shots in all directions. It was only later in his innings that he brought out the reverse paddle and sweep, and started launching those (into the stands).
“Once he’s in one of those moods he’s just about unstoppable, and he just kept going, there was no cameo.
“It was unbelievable, clean hitting, best-in-the world stuff."
With three tours to the subcontinent coming up, McGain believes it is an opportune time to revisit Maxwell’s long-form capabilities.
The Victorian has played seven Tests, each one in the conditions the Australians will face this winter.
Maxwell claimed four wickets on debut in Hyderabad in 2013, and ground out his first Test century in Ranchi in 2017.
“He’s a very good player of spin,” McGain emphasised.
“He’s proven that when he’s played Test cricket in India previously. He scored a hundred in the hottest conditions, the hardest environment, against the best team in their home ground.
“He does have the different gears to play… he gives you handy off-spin as well, he fields like a jet, so he can add enormous value to that Australian Test line-up.”
The 33-year-old has 4061 runs at 39.81 to his name in first-class cricket, but gave up the red ball format in 2019 under the impression he was out of the Test selection mix for good.
McGain hopes Maxwell’s lack of exposure won’t hurt his prospects, and believes his selection can be rationalised by the conditions.
“He’s got to be every chance,” the one-time Test spinner declared.
“The only dent against that is the fact that he hasn’t played a lot of red ball for some time now, so it’s going to be a challenge for the selectors to base (his selection) on any red ball form.
“But for me, the other part to support it is that no other team wants to come up against him.
“He walks to the wicket and the other team go ‘what are we going to do? We need to put in a man for a reverse sweep, we need to cover all this…’
“He’ll put tension into the opposition, and could take the game away pretty quickly if he’s batting at six or seven in an all-rounder slot with that handy spin bowling.
“It’s a good quandary to have for the selectors.”
Having qualified for the finals with no prospect of climbing the ladder, the Hurricanes rested fast bowlers Riley Meredith and Tom Rogers.
The visitors also opted not to select Test seamer Scott Boland, who played in the final three Ashes Tests and claimed 18 wickets at 9.55.
On Wednesday night eight players rolled the arm over, and not one left the ground with an economy rate in single figures.
McGain is concerned the Hurricanes may have scars from their treatment at the hands of Maxwell and Stoinis, going into their play-off against the Adelaide Strikers at the MCG on Friday night.
“Sometimes it’s good to give everyone a recharge, I get it,” McGain acknowledged.
“But momentum is very, very important, and this is really going to dent what they were looking to do.
“The first three overs were spin; maybe they were a bit seduced by the game before with (Cameron) Boyce taking a hat-trick.
“It just seemed to be a little bit clever for me.”
Boyce, a leg-spinner with the Melbourne Renegades, took the first double hat-trick in the history of the competition, and finished with figures of 5-21.
Test batsman Usman Khawaja (77 from 51) had opened for the opposing Sydney Thunder, and kept the score ticking over as Boyce gutted the middle order.
The Renegades fell one run short in the end, after they lost ex-captain Aaron Finch (82 from 64) with three balls to spare in the chase.
“It was an amazing afternoon,” McGain reflected.
“The public was probably feeling a bit of Big Bash fatigue, so maybe there weren’t as many eyeballs on it as there should have been for the final day.
“But there were some amazing performances, stuff that we’re probably not going to see for a long, long time.”