Glenn Maxwell made a hard-hitting statement as he silenced all his doubters with a herculean knock of 145 off just 65 deliveries. The flamboyant all-rounder was overlooked by the selectors for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and it was only in the T20I series, where he got the chance to prove himself. Fair to say, there was no better way to express himself other than playing a memorable knock!
In the absence of regular opener Aaron Finch, Maxwell was promoted to opening the innings alongside skipper David Warner. The Victorian let off from the word go as he hit 9 massive sixes in his epic knock. Post Australia’s victory, Maxwell admitted that he enjoyed batting at the top and wouldn’t mind if he was given a decent run right at the top.
“I was really excited about it and looking forward to the opportunity,” Maxwell said. “I find it easier at the top of the order. When you are in the middle-order, you have to be proactive all the time. You have to play big shots at that time of the game and the responsibility falls on your shoulders. At the top of the order, you’ve got a little more freedom and you can play normal cricket shots without taking too many risks.”
While admitting about the recent past, the right-hander said that he was “demoralized” after being dropped. “I had a bit of a lull in January and February. I felt like I did my job really well in the World T20,” Maxwell said. “West Indies was pretty disappointing because I felt I was a bit out of luck there. I just couldn’t get a break. Not being on the Sri Lanka Test tour hurt but I understood why they dropped me and I have no issues with that.” “It was pretty demoralizing. I was ready to go but it was hard. I have pretty high standards for myself when I play that level. I expect to dominate and it was pretty average,” he concluded.