Glen Maxwell's Test career has received a massive boost after the white-ball gun was added to the Australian squad in Sri Lanka.
With the Australians being ravaged by injuries, Maxwell has been parachuted in to bolster the squad.
With the white-ball cricket portion of the tour concluded, the Australians have been hit with injuries to key personnel. Travis Head is in doubt and Ashton Agar is extremely unlikely to play in the opener on Wednesday in Galle.
With every crisis however, comes opportunity, and Maxwell has been working towards a Test recall for years now. His inclusion in the squad presents the all-rounder with a massive opportunity to revive his Test career.
If included, the chance to again play Test cricket on the subcontinent, where he made his only Test century, is one Maxwell would surely relish. Despite his surprise inclusion, there is still plenty of competition for Test places.
As reported by cricket.com.au, Maxwell is in competition with Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis to take up Head's No.5 position in the batting lineup. Head will miss the Test series after suffering a hamstring injury in the ODI series earlier this week.
Where Maxwell may have the edge is that, like Head, he bowls right-arm off-spin, so Australia would be bringing in a like-for-like replacement. That, coupled with Maxwell's world class fielding, are likely to appeal to the Australians in spin-friendly conditions.
Further boosting Maxwell's chances is the fact that Agar is carrying a side strain and is only likely to be fit in time for the second Test. With Maxwell's four Tests having all come on the subcontinent, he is likely to feel comfortable should he get a recall.
Given he has played significant amounts of limited overs cricket in recent years, which has prevented him from playing a first-class game, his recall is a positive sign. Maxwell said it was nice to have the support of selectors.
