After batter Travis Head suffered a minor hamstring injury, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was added to the Australian Test squad on Thursday in Sri Lanka as his cover. This was the first Test call-up for Maxwell after 5 years.

Maxwell last played in a Test match in Chattogram, against Bangladesh, in September 2017. His inclusion came after Head suffered a minor hamstring injury sustained in the 4th ODI and will miss the final ODI against Sri Lanka.

Maxwell was chosen because of his noteworthy ODI series performances and his ability to bat well against spin. The all-rounder can also contribute some useful overs with his off-spin, a skill set that will undoubtedly be useful on Galle's spin track. Maxwell has played in 7 Test matches overall, amassing 339 runs with a century.

Maxwell, 33, hasn't played a Test match in nearly five years, but recently-appointed Australia coach Andrew McDonald said that the outstanding batsman might return to five-day cricket.

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“You never know what is going to happen. He (Maxwell) has got a great record in the sub-continent, and in India in particular with that hundred in Ranchi and he can also give us off-spin," McDonald said on Melbourne radio station SEN last month.

On June 29, the opening Test of the two-match series will begin in Galle, with significant World Test Championship points on the line. Sri Lanka is now in fourth place on the table, with Australia at the top.

Australian Test squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell.

(SEN inputs)