Former Australian off spinner Ashley Mallet has backed all rounder Glenn Maxwell to earn his debut baggy green against India in the first Test match at Chennai, starting on February 22.
Mallet believes Maxwell can cause considerable problems to Indian batsmen on their own home turf. The former Test great also likened all rounder’s batting to England star Kevin Pietersen, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Mallett has encouraged national selectors to blood Maxwell, who would bat at No.7 and play as the second spinner to Australia's premier slow bowler Nathan Lyon, the paper said.
Maxwell is yet to regularly produce the goods with the bat under pressure at international level and blew an opportunity to impress in this week's tour game, making an eight-ball duck and 12, but Mallet said Maxwell’s batting reminds him of Pietersen.
Mallet believes that on his day Maxwell can tear an attack apart but he will be inconsistent, adding one day he'll get a duck, the next day he'll get a 50 or 100. The former off-spin great believes Maxwell has some technical flaws in his action but admires his temperament.
Mallet said if Maxwell goes for a few fours he's still likely to get his man, adding he is a very competitive character. “Maxwell is the sort of bloke who'll fire, adding he might fail first-up but he's got the X-factor about him and he would take them on and he would like to see him play because he think he can be the difference,” Mallet concluded.
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