Uncapped Australian squad member Glenn Maxwell said national selector John Inverarity did not beat around the bush when he rang with the biggest news of the Victorian all-rounder's career on Friday.
Maxwell was named yesterday as a replacement for injured vice-captain Shane Watson in a 13-man squad for the dead rubber third Test against Sri Lanka at the SCG starting on January 3.
The 24-year-old told Grandstand that he was caught off-guard by the phone call but was grateful that Inverarity did not mince words when breaking the news to him.
"He actually said it straight away, he said 'G'day Glenn, I've got some good news for you, you're in the squad for the Sydney Test'," Maxwell laughed.
"He didn't really beat around the bush, he got straight to it, released the good news straight away.
"It was a good phone call to get, he released the nerves pretty quickly."
Maxwell had just returned from Adelaide where his Big Bash team the Melbourne Stars had beaten the Strikers by eight runs the night before.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Inverarity's phone call did not make Maxwell deviate from the plans he had already made.
"I was just getting ready to pack my car to go have a round of golf with my brother," he said.
"I went outside, took the call and came back in and dad was over the moon, I sort of had a little moment to myself and then spent the next three and a half hours whacking a little white golf ball around trying to clear my head of what just happened.
"It was pretty incredible."
Maxwell, a right-handed batsman who bowls off breaks, averaging 42.00 and 33.81 respectively in red-ball cricket, felt his Sheffield Shield form could have started better.
But he said his form has been on the rise since his selection for Australia A against South Africa in November and the Chairman's XI tour match with Sri Lanka earlier this month.
"I feel like I've been okay this year, I probably haven't had my best start to the season," he admitted.
"Last year I started of the [Sheffield] Shield season with runs in Sydney and runs in Melbourne pretty consistently.
"The Champions League [Twenty20] upset the start of my season and I missed a few Shield games [which is] probably a bit regrettable now.
"But obviously I've made up for it by being picked for the Aussie A and the Chairman's XI game where I played pretty well.
"I think I've hit form at the right time so hopefully I've hit form perfect for this Sydney Test match if I get picked."
Maxwell will head to Sydney on Monday to join the rest of the squad, which is loaded with bowling options that leave Australian selectors spoilt for choice.
Mitchell Starc will be champing at the bit after being left out of the side that won in under three days in Melbourne despite his match-winning performance in the first Test in Hobart last week.
But Jackson Bird bowled well on debut at the MCG, Mitchell Johnson's man-of-the-match efforts with bat and ball will be impossible to overlook and Peter Siddle will be in good shape after only bowling 14 overs in the innings and 201-run win.
Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted December 29, 2012 14:12:20
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