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

Published - 03 Jan 2026, 23:33 IST | Updated - 04 Jan 2026, 00:03 IST

Australian chief selector George Bailey hinted at the possibility of having Glenn Maxwell donning the wicketkeeping gloves in case Josh Inglis suffers an injury during the T20 World Cup. While Maxwell has never kept wickets at the international level, he has performed the role at the junior level and in a one-off match for the Australian side during the 2009 Hong Kong Super Sixes.

Bailey said that he has seen Maxwell keep wickets and feels that the 37-year-old has natural abilities 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.

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.

Ashes: Pitch curator confident of Day 5 action in SCG Test

Mitchell Marsh-led Australia are placed in Group B alongside Ireland, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Oman in the T20 World Cup. They will play all their group games in Sri Lanka.