Glenn Maxwell to keep wickets during T20 World Cup? Australia chief selector George Bailey reacts

Australian national selector George Bailey intimated that Glenn Maxwell may take over wicketkeeping duties if Josh Inglis is injured during the T20 World Cup. While Maxwell has never held wickets at the international level, he has done so at the junior level and once for the Australian team during the 2009 Hong Kong Super Sixes.

Bailey said he has watched Glenn Maxwell keep wickets and believes the 37-year-old has natural ability behind the stumps.

“I’ve seen him do it. He’s a natural; he did it when he was younger. We’ve been in World Cups with one player (short) in positions. It always feels like you’ve got to give up something,” Bailey was quoted as saying to the cricket.au website.

“It’s the balance of those sort of day-to-day injuries where a player might just be missing for one (game) versus a more serious injury, and then how long that is, and can you carry someone?” the former Australian captain asked.

Inglis is the only specialist wicketkeeper named in Australia’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 9.

Matt Kuhnemann, Cooper Connolly can bowl inside powerplay: Bailey

Bailey also highlighted the potential for left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann and spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly to operate inside the powerplay, an option Australia have rarely utilised in the past.

“[That] is something that we haven’t traditionally done a lot of. I think both those guys have got that skillset, so that allows you to create some space elsewhere to be able to line up certain bowlers and continue to keep Zamps (Zampa) in his space,” Bailey said.