Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell was recently added to the Aussie Test squad following teammate Travis Head‘s injury that ruled the left-handed batter out of the recently-concluded 5th ODI against Sri Lanka.
Notably, Maxwell has returned to the red-ball squad after a long time. The right-handed batter last wore the baggy green in 2017 against Bangladesh in Chattogram. So far, Maxwell has played seven Tests – all in the subcontinent – with a top score of 104 against India in Ranchi.
The Victorian showed positive signs in the ODI leg, especially in the opening game, where he smashed a match-winning 80 against a top-quality spin attack of the Islanders on a relatively slow pitch.
As Maxwell is ready to wear the whites again, the all-rounder revealed how his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 really helped him improve his skills to face spin bowling. Maxi, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the fifteenth season of the cash-rich league, stated how training on the slow tracks in India assisted him in taking his spin playing ability to the next level.
“I think training in IPL so regularly… being in a bubble during IPL really helped because there was no travel, so we had more time for training sessions,” said Maxwell, as quoted by Fox Cricket.
“Training wickets were extremely tired, they were spinning big, they were inconsistent, and it was brilliant practice. That helped me coming into this series,” he added.
The 33-year-old also revealed that his debut Test cap, which he got in 2013, is in terrible shape. Maxwell said he would need a new cap for the upcoming Test series against the Islanders.
“I’m glad I didn’t bring it because it has completely disintegrated, so I’m going to have to get a new one for this Test tour. I took it out last year and had a look at it, it was deteriorating, and I thought that wasn’t a good sign. My wife took it out yesterday and said, ‘I don’t think I can bring this,’” Maxwell added further.