We've always assumed all Australian cricketers dream of wearing the baggy green in a Test match. But I know of one player who has been mentioned as a potential Test pick in recent seasons who admitted he wasn't too fussed about Test cricket, saying "he couldn't be bothered", and preferred Twenty20 and one-day cricket.
That's his choice and I fully respect that. He doesn't want to put in the extra work needed to make it at Test level and the financial rewards for effort are much greater for T20 players. At least he is honest enough not to waste everyone's time. But I did advise him not to be this "honest" to the media, for fear that "Boof" Lehmann and his lawmen might come knocking on his door .
![Not all Australian cricketers are hanging out to play Tests.](/web/20161210054725im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/6/n/2/z/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt6ogj.png/1481234622064.jpg)
It's harder being a Test player – or a one-day international for that matter – than ever before. To be successful you better be prepared for what's coming or you might just fall down in a mess.
I couldn't help but think after the Glenn Maxwell saga, why would you want to be a Test player today? No doubt Maxy – who is not the aforementioned player, by the way – was in the wrong with his complaint about batting behind Matthew Wade at Victoria, but did the penalty outweigh the crime? I believe it did and it should have been dealt with by Cricket Victoria officials instead of Lehmann and his lawmen. Sadly, it seems the whole saga has got very personal.
I played in an era where Test cricket was tough, men could say things openly and honestly without fear of being sacked or fined. Thankfully the fans' attitudes haven't changed much, they just want the players to be competitive and to wear the baggy green with pride.
I have no idea what Maxy's fine was, but I felt players and officials used to be less sensitive to the type of comments that he made. What about the comments made by Mark "Junior" Waugh just after he scored an amazing maiden Test hundred on debut. I said to him as we walked out of the ground, "Test cricket's an easy game, Junior", knowing selectors Allan Border and Bob Simpson were within earshot. Junior was not in a joking mood when he responded, "I should have been picked years ago, the selectors have no clue". The looks on AB's and Simmo's faces were priceless. We all laughed and moved on.
Waugh's quote was printed the next day. No penalty. Players, officials and selectors were less sensitive then, although there were some exceptions to the rule. In 1994, I made a good score after returning to the one-day team against South Africa and ran into trouble with Simpson when I mentioned in a column that we had a good win with the coach being away sick. I stated that the boys just might have loosened up and played a little more freely due to his absence. I certainly knew I did.
We travelled to Perth for the next match and Simmo was furious with my article and threatened to sue me if I didn't apologise in print. I apologised in my next column, laughed, and thankfully never got fined or suspended.
Today, any players who don't exactly follow the company line will get smashed by the coach or by Cricket Australia. I am very worried about this. Have we forgotten "homework-gate" in India, where players did not do the homework given to them by the captain and coach? Players were suspended, the team was split and it was a real mess. Could you imagine how some of the boys in my day would have handled such homework? We sorted everything out behind closed doors with a beer or a coffee.
It's no wonder we have few players with character and charisma. Players need to play with freedom and be able to think on their feet in a game. After the Maxwell saga, players will be frightened to say or do anything that might get in them in trouble.
Let's look at the media. There are about 14 TV commentators and three radio stations with 24 commentators all having an opinion on how you play. Then add all the digital and print media looking for different opinions and angles. Then there are 14 staff travelling with you. It's tough to relax with someone having an opinion on you every day of the week.
Just imagine every shot, every ball bowled, every dropped catch, every time you picked your nose and every response you make is captured on film or on radio. I remember attending a coaching seminar, they were all pulling apart my technique, knowing I was in the back row. They couldn't have cared less that I was in their presence and they just dismantled my every move without care. People trying to justify their own positions.
Being a successful, consistent Test cricketer takes a lot of effort and commitment. You can't go into it half-hearted, without a good defence. You must have the hide of an armadillo and be prepared to put in years of hard work to get your game right, mentally and technically. You must possess a set of blinkers and an abundance of plasticine to whack in your ears to deflect the often ridiculous things that are being said about you.
You cannot do anything on the ground that might look suspicious. The cameramen and microphones – or even TV viewers – are so good at picking up any little thing. Ask Faf du Plessis. You cannot have fun with the crowd, in fear of the captain ripping you a new one. Not to mention that everyone has a smartphone and no player can unwind away from the ground – that's why players hide in their rooms.
If you want to be successful at Test cricket it demands every bit of commitment and attention you can give. Maxwell realises that he needs to bat higher in Sheffield Shield matches to impress national selectors and he feels Victoria are not offering that and wants to move. Well he batted at No.3 in the Matador Cup and No.4 in his last shield game and failed to impress. The harsh truth, sadly, for Maxy is that he has been given the opportunities and not taken them. And ringing Cricket Victorian officials to say he wants a move to NSW two weeks before the season started was just plain dumb.
Here we have a guy who says he desperately wants to play Test cricket again. Maxwell has played seven seasons in the Sheffield Shield and his best year was in 2013-14. Even that year he wasn't really exceptional with the bat – 544 runs at an average of 45. These numbers simply don't justify being selected in the top six for Australia, but I feel he thinks it does. In fairness, he has been given little chance to settle at Test level, batting in five different positions in his three Tests.
What don't we like about Maxy's game? First, there seems to be no planning to his innings. What bowler can he hurt? What bowler does he have to be careful with? He seems to be inconsistent off the field as well, where he has flipped Indian Premier League teams, Big Bash League teams and now he wants to flip the Vics for NSW. So, in his eyes, another move will do the trick? Well I am sorry, it won't. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you see in the world!"
If Maxwell wants to play Test cricket, he needs consistency with the bat in red/pink ball games to get his name on the right side of the law. He might have played his last game with Victoria. Does he really want to improve his chances to play Test cricket, or is he just saying nice things that he thinks everyone wants to hear? Would he contemplate ignoring the big riches of the IPL and try to improve his game by playing a full summer in England with Durham?
In hindsight, Maxwell should not have been picked in the squad for the one-day international series against New Zealand this week. He would have been far better off playing in Hobart for the Vics.
But his Test prospects aren't looking bright. Travis Head has scored some important one-day international runs and when you consider he bowls some handy spin, it is very likely he will take Maxwell's spot for the Indian tour. They are similar players, with an X-factor in their game. And Head is 22, Maxwell is 28.