BAN vs AUS 2017: Mike Hussey Tips Glenn Maxwell to Shine at No. 6
Aug 17, 2017 at 4:02 PM
Former Australia middle-order batsman Mike Hussey has opined that all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has the potential to come good against Bangladesh in the forthcoming two-match Test series in the subcontinent later this month while adding he could turn out to be a batting mainstay at No.6.
Hussey while speaking out of his experience in the international format, further said Maxwell could be a long-term solution for Cricket Australia, and further reiterated the hard-hitting Maxwell has the knack to play all three formats of the game.
“He’s [Maxwell] got a great opportunity to try and make a spot in the Test team his own. He definitely can (become Australia’s long-term No.6), there’s no doubt he has the talent,” Hussey was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
The Western Australia born, Hussey, who had played a significant role for the national side, believes Maxwell could stretch his innings in the side if he would give his best in Bangladesh while having the traditional Ashes on the horizon.
“If he piles on a mountain of runs then it’s going to be pretty hard to leave him out for the Ashes,” Hussey added.
However, Hussey didn’t rule out the daunting challenges and lows of the game while batting at the No. 6 position, as he further expressed it could be a make or break situation for any of the sides in the competitive cricket.
“You have to play in a variety of different situations. Sometimes you come in and the team is in trouble and you have to resurrect the innings,” Hussey asserted.
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Coming to the grassroot cricket, the cricketers in Australia have had witnessed a tough competition, as Maxwell is eyeing to score the bulk of runs – to impress the selectors and eventually don the Baggy green back home in the Ashes.
“It’s actually quite a tricky role to play because it is hard to get consistency,” Hussey maintained.
Moreover, Hussey said that fast-bowling all-rounder Hilton Cartwright and Maxwell are giving each other a tough competition for the sixth place; as he went on to say the experience would come handy on the Asia tour where Australia has struggled particularly in the five-day format.
“It looks like he and Cartwright are fighting it out for the No.6 spot in Bangladesh,” Hussey further added.
Australia is scheduled to play the first Test on August 27 at Dhaka against Bangladesh after wrestling in a two-day warm-up game.
Being a revelation for Australia particularly in Test cricket during his career, Hussey played 79 Tests in which he had amassed 6,235 runs at an average of 51.25. He also smashed 19 hundreds and 29 fifties after starting his Test career in 2005 against West Indies.