Doug Bollinger pushes for Glenn Maxwell's inclusion into Australia’s Test squad

PERTH: Former Australia fast-bowler Doug Bollinger has pushed for Glenn Maxwell’s inclusion into Australia’s Test squad, saying why the big-hitting all-rounder wasn’t given a crack in the longer format for the first Test against Pakistan to start the international men’s home summer.

Maxwell played the last of his seven Tests in 2017, but calls have increased for him to get a return into the longer format, especially with recent white-ball form being great. The right-handed batter slammed two centuries in Australia’s victorious Men’s ODI World Cup campaign – a 40-ball hundred against Netherlands and an astonishing 201 not out against Afghanistan, as well as 47-ball ton in third T20I against India at Guwahati.

“I even said to a few people, why wouldn't they pick ‘Maxi’ in the Test squad the way he's batting? He's played Test cricket before. In Australian conditions, it’d be interesting. Who cares (where you put him), put everyone up the order.”

“I like thinking outside the square like that mate. I said to pick Scott Boland a few years ago and I got called a moron. I think just in the background you’ve got to pick who's getting runs, who's getting wickets,” said Bollinger on SEN Radio.

With veteran opener David Warner expressing to retire from Tests at the end of the series against Pakistan, Australia will be soon on a search for a new opener. Bollinger thinks Cameron Bancroft deserves a go after Warner’s retirement as he’s been the in-form opener in the Sheffield Shield across the last two seasons for his state Western Australia.

“I think all those names are great, but I think everyone's overthinking it, aren't they? They're picking so many batters they think they open. Why don't they just pick the bloke that's getting the most runs? Yeah (that’s Bancroft), basically. That (picking who is making runs at Shield level) has worked in the past mate."