Muirhead a chance, says Maxwell

Leg-spinner James Muirhead is a genuine possibility to be included in Australia’s opening match of the World T20 tournament in Bangladesh, according to allrounder Glenn Maxwell.

Though veteran Brad Hogg is the incumbent spinner in Australia’s T20 side, Maxwell believes the nature of the Pakistan batting line-up could well push the case of 20-year-old Muirhead.

“Pakistan are pretty heavy with right-handers so we might look to James Muirhead to spin the ball away,” said Maxwell, who joins a growing list of observers impressed by the young Victorian’s self-assuredness.

“He’s definitely confident. He was telling me as I was running past (in the field against New Zealand) that he was going to get (Brendon) McCullum out, and the next ball went for six, but then the next ball he got him out, and he walks over to me and he says, ‘I told you so’.

“So he doesn’t lack confidence, and he wants the big names, which is great to see from a young guy. He’s got so much self-belief, and I’m hoping he has a good tournament.”

Hogg however, may also prove effective against the Pakistani right-handers, with the wily 43-year-old possessing one of the most deceptive wrong’uns in the game.

Maxwell’s own off-breaks could also be critical in a tournament likely to favour the spinners, with the 25-year-old aware that his ability with ball in hand could also tip the selection scales in his favour.

“I’ve been watching the other games pretty closely, and watching the other off-spinners to see how they’ve been successful,” he said.

“Spin’s obviously going to play a massive part, it always does on the Subcontinent, so that’s the extra string to my bow that I can bring to the table, and I need to bring to the table.”

With the tournament already a week old, Maxwell also believes time of day will go a long way to dictating conditions.

“Whether you’re playing day or night is going to make a massive difference as far as how the pitch goe,” he said.

“Speaking to Hodgey, who played over here with the Dhaka Gladiators, he said at night they actually become a lot better wickets, it skids on a little bit more.

“I don’t think that takes spin out of the picture, I just think you need to be a little bit more accurate, and your lengths are that much more important.”