Injury hits Glenn Maxwell's Test comeback dream

While the 36-year-old Glenn Maxwell is desperate to make a comeback in Test cricket, his hope has been facing another barrier as his injury has forced him to stay on the sideline from the crucial upcoming first-class matches. 

The cricket world knows Glenn Maxwell very well in the limited-overs formats. In both ODI and T20I formats, Maxwell has set his image in the special frames, which is hard to replace in the future. While the dashing all-rounder has set many international cricket records in the white-ball formats, he still wishes to play an important role for Australia in Test cricket. 

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I'll keep going for it: Glenn Maxwell

Last month, Maxwell talked about his dream of Test cricket. He told ESPNcricinfo, "I think if I gave up on that Test dream now, I don't think I'd be doing justice to that younger Glenn Maxwell who was dying to put on the baggy green when he was a kid. And I think while there's still a glimmer of hope, I'll keep going for it."

Maxwell's latest injury

However, Maxwell’s Test return has become tougher after the latest hamstring injury. During the last T20I against Pakistan at Hobart, while Australia completed a 3-0 home series win, Maxwell sustained a hamstring injury. Later, it was diagnosed with a grade two hamstring injury. 

After the first Test and before the second Test of the five-match Test series against the visitors India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Prime Minister’s XI will play a two-day pink-ball match against India at Canberra. Maxwell was reportedly expected to be selected for that game, which would be marked as his first-class cricket return after more than a year.

Meanwhile, Maxwell was also expected to be available for the next Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at Melbourne, starting on December 6.

Maxwell's last Test match

Maxwell last played a Test match in September 2017 when Australia toured Bangladesh. In seven Tests, the all-rounder scored 339 runs in 14 innings with an average of 26.07, including one century. As an off-spinner, he has also picked up eight wickets in his Test career.

Maxwell’s Test return can be possible for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour, where Australia will play a two-match away Test series, which will be a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. However, his opportunity in first-class cricket is unlikely to happen this year, which is a major blow for him for the Sri Lanka tour selection, especially for the Test series.