Tony Dodemaide, the Cricket Victoria chief executive, is confident star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will remain at the Bushrangers next season
The 28-year-old sought a clearance to play for New South Wales last year but applied after the transfer window closed. Maxwell had a turbulent season which reared when he was fined for publicly criticising Matthew Wade, the then Victorian captain, over his place in the batting order.
Maxwell’s fortunes changed dramatically when he earned a recall into the Australian team through the 50-over format before being selected to tour India. Replacing injured all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, Maxwell made a memorable maiden Test century in the third game in Ranchi.
There is innuendo that Maxwell covets batting in the top four in State cricket and he could get a chance for a promotion in the Victorian line-up with Wade heading to Tasmania and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis contemplating a move back to Western Australia. Wade and Stoinis had batted ahead of Maxwell in the Sheffield Shield.
Maxwell is currently captaining Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League and a strong showing could see him in contention to lead the Bushrangers next season if he decides to stay at Victoria.
Dodemaide said he was hopeful Maxwell would stay at Victoria. “From everything I have heard, through Shaun Graf and the cricket operations area there … it’s all good,” he told The Age on Wednesday (April 5). “Glenn had those contemplations at the start of last year but, as far as I am aware, he is happily moving forward with us. Obviously, that’s what we want. He is a terrific young player and he has taken some great steps forward, making his first Test hundred, and hundreds in all three forms of the game.
“We hope that he is an Australian player for a long period to come, and a Victorian in the meantime,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tim Paine, the Tasmanian wicketkeeper, has been linked to Victoria but Dodemaide said the potential move “hasn’t been addressed”.
“It’s just now the off-season, people are taking leave and the guys are heading off to the IPL and county cricket and all that sort of stuff,” he said. “We will do a proper review of the season if and when people have had a chance to take a breath.”
