Darren Lehmann gives out the reason for Glenn Maxwell's axing

Captains are often in a dilemma on whether to go with a player based on his past performances or current form. The “horses for courses” strategy has been followed by Indian captain Virat Kohli. The Aussies won the Ashes quite easily and now the teams move to the limited-overs series. The Englishmen are expected to put up a fight at least in the limited-overs series with few of the specialists returning to the squad.

A dashing finisher is always an asset in a one-day game. The 40-50 runs scored by the finishers usually proves to be the difference among the teams. Glenn Maxwell at his best can be a nightmare for the bowlers. The hard-hitting batsman sends the balls to the fence in great fashion. But of late, Maxwell has been devoid of runs in international cricket. He was axed from the Test side when the Marsh brothers were preferred over him and now he finds himself on the wrong end of the ODI squad.

Coach Darren Lehmann feels that runs are the only factor that is keeping the BigShow out of the squad. His attitude and relationship with the others has got nothing to do with the axe.

Selection is always tough

“Selection is always tough and there are so many different views out there, but Cameron White has been fantastic over three or four summers with Victoria in the one-day arena and obviously started really well with the Big Bash, in good form, and that’s what we want,” Lehmann was quoted as saying by abc.net.au.

The finisher hasn’t had a good year in white ball cricket. “Our one-day form has been poor for the last 12 months, so he we need to change that around and our middle order hasn’t performed and Glenn, the last 20 games he averaged 22, so for us, that’s not good enough for a man of his talent,” Lehmann added.

However, Maxwell has been in good form in Sheffield Shield having scored a brilliant double century. A player of his calibre cannot be ignored for long. A call-up might just be round the corner if the batsman gets some runs under his belt.