Australian skipper Matthew Wade was at a lost for words when asked about Glenn Maxwell’s amazing effort in the third T20I against India on Tuesday, November 28 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The 35-year-old played an exceedingly pull-out tall chase against India from a tough situation to keep their side alive in the five-match series.
As the visitors chased down a mammoth mark of 223 off the penultimate delivery in the game, Glenn Maxwell scored Australia’s joint-fastest T20I century off 47 balls. With two runs needed off the penultimate ball to get his team over the line, Maxwell hit Prasidh Krishna down the ground for a boundary to seal things off for the team.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Matthew Wade lauded Glenn Maxwell for his match-winning knock against India in the 3rd T20 game on Wednesday and explained why he chose to bowl the off-spinner in the final over of the game, with Kane Richardson injuring himself during India’s batting innings and said that the next two games would give youngsters opportunities while experienced players returned home.
“You don’t get much better than that. It was always going to take our best and probably the best player of T20 cricket we have,”
“I wouldn’t say “confident” was on my mind, but we knew where we can bat in chases. When we had five overs left but unfortunately Kane Richardson hurt himself so we were one short and had to bowl Maxi, We really needed this win, and a lot of guys are heading home so a chance for the younger ones and hopefully we can take it to the decider with another win,” Matthew Wade said.
The off-spinner had a setback in the end, leaking 30 runs off his final over as India posted a massive score of 222 for three. Wade explained that Maxwell bowled for the team due to Kane Richardson’s injury.
Glenn Maxwell’s incredible performance included eight fours and six sixes to remain unbeaten with 104 runs off just 48 balls, which matched Rohit Sharma’s record for the most T20I hundreds. Following the third T20I, six Australian players who competed in the ODI World Cup would return home. With their major players absent, Wade believes that it’s an excellent opportunity for the young players to showcase their talent and shine.
