In a torrid time in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan initially defeated Australia by 221 runs in the first Test in Dubai before taking their efforts to another level with a 356-run victory over the Aussies in Abu Dhabi.
Despite not being known as a red-ball player, Maxwell was brought into the Test side at the expense of Alex Doolan for the second Test but failed to make much of an impression, posting 37 and four in his two innings respectively.
But it wasn’t the scores that had Hughes frothing at the mouth, it was the manner in which Maxwell played.
“The application I think is the disappointing thing,” he said on Perth radio station SportFM before really getting stuck into the Victorian.
“Realistically, I mean Maxwell, who’s got plenty of talent. It should be a long, long while before he’s even considered for the baggy green.
“I mean his effort was diabolical.
“Too much money, got ahead of himself, The Big Show, trying to play a reverse sweep when you’re batting at No.3.
“The fellas I felt really sorry for and it was a real smack in the face for, fellas like Doolan and Phil Hughes who missed out.
“They’d be sitting back there and thinking at least we’d have a red hot crack.
“I thought that was very ordinary by Maxwell, absolutely just a complete disdain for the cap he was wearing and it should be a long, long long, way away before they even consider him.
“He’s alright in the Twenty20, absolutely, but shouldn’t even consider him for anything else, I thought his effort was diabolical.”
As Hughes hinted, Maxwell has been selected for Australia's second Twenty20 clash against South Africa on Friday night at the MCG, but the all-rounder wasn't the only one to cop it from the former skipper, with Stephen O’Keefe, dropped for the second Test after only taking four wickets in Dubai, also in hot water.
“Honestly, you could face O’Keefe ‘til the cows come home,” Hughes declared.
“I mean the standard that I saw in that Test match. He might have had a bad day, you’d like to think he had a bad day, but it was chalk and cheese compared to the other blokes they were facing against.”
Hughes was more positive, though, when discussing young all-rounder Mitchell Marsh’s efforts.
The younger of the Marsh boys made 27 and three in the first Test – his debut - but stepped it up the second time around, posting Australia’s highest score in the first innings in Abu Dhabi with 87 before following that up with 47.
“I tell you what, he (Marsh) improved tremendously from that first Test to the second Test and he really did look a complete player,” Hughes said.
“He played the spinners beautifully, got his 80 and 40, so at the age of 23 I think that’s the biggest, most significant thing that’s happened for Australian cricket for a long, long while since maybe Shane Warne, because his bowling will only improve but I was tremendously impressed.”