George Bailey hints surprise inclusion in Test squad for 2025 Sri Lanka tour: report

Australia's all-rounder Glenn Maxwell could be making a surprise comeback to Test cricket soon. 

According to a recent report by the Sydney Morning Herald, selectors are considering Maxwell for the squad ahead of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in early 2025.

The upcoming two-match Test series in Sri Lanka will be the only subcontinent fixture for Australia in the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. This stands in contrast to their previous tour, which saw Australia travelling to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka within six months. 

The team performed admirably despite the challenging conditions under captain Pat Cummins. They suffered a 1-2 defeat against India, secured a 1-0 victory over Pakistan, and drew 1-1 with Sri Lanka. Their dominant home season allowed them to reach and win the WTC final.

Maxwell, who has not played Test cricket since 2017, was notably absent from the T20 squad for the upcoming tour of England. The decision to exclude him from T20s appears to be a strategic move, considering his potential return to the Test arena.

Early speculations suggest Travis Head might be promoted to the top of the order, with Steve Smith returning to his traditional middle-order position. Peter Handscomb and Josh Inglis could also be potential inclusions in the squad.

Maxwell is expected to take on a lower-middle-order role and contribute with his off-spin. Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann are anticipated to be the primary spinners, with Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, and Mitchell Swepson also under consideration.

"We prioritise every Test, we’ll take that across the summer and see how the five Tests against India go and then we’ll make those decisions post that as to exactly how everyone’s travelling,” selection chair George Bailey said.

“What we do know about Sri Lanka is that potentially the surfaces there do give you a bit of a different make-up of your Test side, so it doesn’t tend to look exactly the same as what the Test team over the Australian summer might look like," he added.

Maxwell, who was called up for the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 but did not play, had a notable first-class appearance in the 2023 County Championship for Warwickshire, scoring a rapid 81. 

Despite being considered for the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, a leg injury from a freak accident post-2022 T20 World Cup disrupted his plans.

In November 2023, Maxwell highlighted the significance of the 2025 Sri Lanka tour, saying, "Just the fact I was able to be on the Sri Lanka tour last year is a sign they still have me in their thoughts and see me as an option. Regardless of whether I played one or 30 games in red-ball cricket, I'm still going to be an option to go over there."