Regardless, Maxwell made two good enough scores to press his case to be installed at No.6 in the Australian batting order for the first Ashes Test at the Gabba. Maxwell proved to be consistent, if not consistently big with the bat, making a second 50 in this Sheffield Shield match against South Australia.

You could complain that Maxwell twice let centuries go begging after the hardest work had been done, but that would be churlish.

His first innings 60 was determined and relatively restrained. In the second innings he was presented with what should have been the ideal scenario: South Australia had declared with Callum Ferguson still unbeaten on 182, to set Victoria about 348 to win.

So Maxwell was able to arrive at the crease with the score just 24 and needing to show he could, firstly, dig in with Travis Dean to avoid a collapse, and then turn aggressor to go after the fast runs the Bushrangers needed. That is, he was presented with a situation in which he show two different sides of his game. He is known for the fact he can attack and has been at pains to show that his game is not limited to that.

This was an innings to show he could do as he did in the first dig and hold the bowlers out, but then fold it into his naturally attacking style. It was the perfect scenario.

Twice then as he tried to navigate to lunch he was squeezed by short balls, beaten for pace and the sharp bounce as he tried to swat at pull shots on balls that grew big on him. The first just looked ugly and rolled away to safety the second looked just as ugly but bobbled out of reach of the nearby field. He went at a canter if not a gallop, his runs coming at a strike rate of 78 with two sixes, which was a good reflection of the state of the game.

He was trapped at the crease to an in-swinging ball from Joe Mennie that will anger Maxwell for the fact he seemed unlucky to be given out to a ball that looked to be going down leg. But really, he was lucky to still be there after appearing to spoon a ball back to Adam Zampa after he brought up his 50. The Redbacks celebrated the wicket only to be denied by the umpire who felt it had been a bump ball. A replay suggested Maxwell was lucky.

"He is looking good, he is looking really good. He is balanced and he is sticking to his game plan and that is really good, he is working hard and wants that spot and I see no reason why he can't but he has to keep making runs. He has done a good job, but he needs to make runs next week," Victorian captain and Test batsman Peter Handscomb said.

So, from the evidence presented in this match, what do the selectors do? They have Maxwell making twin fifties and strangely enough for a player known for his fondness for fast runs rather than slow getting out after compiling the slow runs and when things were ripe for the fast runs.

He at least has incumbency on his side even if the selectors had flagged that incumbency was not a guarantee for a place in the first Ashes Test and that the first three shield games would be a stronger guide to the team line-up.

"I think it is tough because you can't judge a player's performance in Australia by what they have done overseas because they are completely different conditions but he has been in the environment so mentally he is prepared for it so he will be prepared for it," Handscomb added.

Jake Lehmann made 103 and 93 to be the star of the show, but he is coming on from a distance back in a crowded field of flawed candidates.

Callum Ferguson's innings was the pick of any of the batsmen. He looked beautiful, batting with poise and elegance. His drives were without force but full of flourish,this was the type of innings that has long marked him as a batsman capable of playing at Test level at length. And yet because of his only Test at Bellerive and what has happened since he would be the least likely of any bat to press a claim.That is sad.