Maxi’s main obstacle to Test comeback

The ongoing fallout of a horror broken leg suffered almost two years ago is the only serious threat to Glenn Maxwell’s potential return to Test cricket in Sri Lanka next year.

Maxwell said he continued to deal with the after-effects of the gruesome injuries he suffered at a friend’s 50th birthday in November 2022.

A shattered fibula, chipped tibia and ruptured ankle ligaments which derailed his bid to play in India last year have also left questions over his durability for next February’s Sri Lankan tour.

The destructive all-rounder does not think a run of Sheffield Shield games will be required to book his spot in the squad, but said he may need to prove to selectors he could get his body through five consecutive days of cricket.

That could necessitate a return to the red-ball game with Victoria, with coach Chris Rogers open to picking Maxwell for games either before or after November’s white-ball matches against Pakistan.

Maxwell, 35, said his sole focus was on the upcoming 50-over matches in England, but he “wouldn’t discount anything” when it came to his future in all three formats for Australia.

The veteran was rested by Cricket Australia for the preceding T20 games against Scotland and England, allowing him to work on his conditioning before another demanding summer.

“It’s still my leg. It’s what is giving me the most grief since breaking it, so it’s still a work in progress,” Maxwell said.

“It’s something I have to work hard on every day to make sure it’s in a position where I feel like I can get through a full day of cricket unscathed and hopefully pain free.

It takes a lot more rehab and a lot more time than other parts of my body … it’s (managing) time on feet, lots of gym work, strengthening up different areas of my body and making sure I don’t have those little niggles that set me back a couple of weeks each time.”

Maxwell said his communication with the Australian selectors had assured him they were open to picking an “outside the box” side for February’s two Tests against Sri Lanka.

The right-hander has not played a Test since the 2017 tour of Bangladesh and only has two first-class matches to his name since the end of 2019.

“They’ve been pretty open to selecting outside the box for players who do well in those conditions, and knowing what it’s like in Sri Lanka, I don’t think Shield form is going to be a huge factor in how someone is going to go over there,” Maxwell said.

“It’s just completely different conditions, you’ve got to have a really solid game plan against spin and a really good idea of how you’re going to tackle them in those conditions – it’s a different beast.

“I understand that it might not look the same as a lot of the Australian teams that play in everyday Tests.”

In January, a frustrated Maxwell told Melbourne Stars teammates he was relinquishing the captaincy of the BBL side after they missed the finals, and he definitively ruled out returning to the role with two years left to run on his contract.

He said it was “one less thing I have on my mind” as he tried to manage himself through the home summer.

“It would be great if I could get my body into a position where I can play over (in Sri Lanka), but as far as Shield cricket, I’m not sure how much they’ll take that into consideration, and whether or not I need to prove I can get through four days of cricket before I play Test cricket,” he said.

“Hopefully my body’s going really well and I can put my hand up for the Test stuff as well, but there’s still a lot of work left to do and a lot of boxes to tick before then.”

Australia’s UK limited overs tour begins next Wednesday with three T20 matches against Scotland.