Maxwell enjoys having more bowling responsibilities
“Well, I think I was the No. 1 spinner in 2015 when we won it, so I’ve been bumped back to number two.”
When asked if he considered himself to be a “specialist spinner,” Glenn Maxwell responded in jest with one of those trademark beaming smiles on his face. In his defense, he did outbowl Adam Zampa during Australia’s inaugural World Cup game in Chennai, the team’s designated specialist spinner. To his credit, Maxwell did serve as the team’s starting spinner in 2015 as they won the championship at home. More significantly, he has been bowling better than ever in the weeks leading up to the competition this time.
Following the 4/40 match-winning spell in Rajkot a few weeks back, a rather amazing spell against Pakistan in the exhibition game in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 3, followed. Additionally, Maxwell held his own during the Virat Kohli-KL Rahul partnership on Sunday, October 8, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in extremely humid circumstances, bowling only 4.10 an over in his eight overs. Even still, Zampa found it difficult to comprehend the literal circumstances and how pricey everything was.
I’ve got the ball coming out extremely good, as I said after Rajkot, and I’ve probably not worked on anything in particular. With the way it feels going out of my palm, I’ve suddenly gained a lot of clarity. The last two of overs the other night were definitely a little bit different because I was essentially putting five fingers on the ball and hoping it got down there (other end) with one bounce instead of throwing it straight over the batter’s head, the all-rounder chuckled.
The 34-year-old did acknowledge, though, that in addition to his bowling, the tactic of employing him in brief stints was crucial. And note that it may have given the impression that Rahul and Kohli weren’t really pursuing him in his early overs.
“I don’t believe they intended to sit on me; instead, they likely saw me as a potential scorer, which is why I had a few brief spells to try not to give them a good read on me. He continued, “I got maybe two balls to react differently off the wicket, where they hit a crack or hit a dry place and went, and it just shows a little bit of uncertainty in the batter’s head.
Maxwell also stated that having a specific role with the ball was assisting him in settling into his job much more. Ironically, Maxwell had his best successful year with the ball in this format in 2015 when he played ahead of Xavier Doherty as the spin-bowling all-rounder. With only four fielders permitted on the boundary during the middle overs of the current ODI cricket format, Maxwell has observed an interesting change in how he bowls to left- and right-handers.
“The previous night in Chennai, we beat the bat enough to generate opportunities, but ultimately we weren’t able to get the edges. It will be my responsibility to serve as a holding pattern for as long as I can. And it’s wonderful if they make a mistake and are caught by me or if they make a mistake at the other end and we get a wicket. So that’s just the job; it’s probably not going to be one where I get five for blasting a side out,” he remarked.
“I feel like I have decent control, and I believe that with the four fielders out and bowling to many right-handed batters, I am able to sort of control the scoreboard a little bit easier. It’s a little different when a left-hander is on strike, so one-day cricket has definitely evolved a little in that regard. When bowling to a left-hander, you might have a better chance of getting a wicket, whereas when bowling to a right-hander, you can essentially shut down one side of the field. Sort of work on his ego, observe what they’re doing, and try to determine their intended targets.
Maxwell insisted on being extremely meticulous in his preparation with the ball and how he studiously monitors the batters that he’s going to come up against as Australia travels around India for the next month and a half, even though a lot of his batting might seem to be based solely on instinct and gut.
“I do extensive research on the opponents. I enjoy sports a lot. I’m somewhat aware of their strengths and limitations, and you try to get a feel for their setup or the manner in which their feet move while just trying to make the most possible adjustments to that. Although I am not a particularly strong ball spinner, I believe I am very accurate in moving the bats around the crease, which should create enough pressure to result in a wicket or a poor shot. If this happens at the other end, it is ideal.
As Pat Cummins and company take on the hard-hitting South Africans on Thursday (October 12), Australia’s attention moves to the comparatively unknown surroundings of Lucknow. Maxwell is aware that many of his colleagues will look to him as a veteran player and an IPL regular to get some form of insight into what they should anticipate at the Ekana Stadium.
“This is a bit of an unknown; I believe they tore up the entire field and began fresh following the IPL. I believe India struggled to chase down 99 against the Kiwis in a T20 match played here earlier in the year, so with that in mind, I believe the entire venue will likely get off to a fresh start. Come on out on the day and see how it appears if I’m right. We have practice this afternoon and tomorrow as well, so maybe take a look at the location and attempt to form an accurate opinion on the wicket, he said.
“I believe that the nets were quite comparable to how the center was playing, even looking back to the IPL when we did play here, and that was it. Both in the nets and then outside in the middle, it was rather taxing work. As a result, it served as excellent preparation for us.
In relation to Lucknow, Maxwell also stated that Marcus Stoinis, a prominent local IPL player, will be available for selection for the match against South Africa.
He’s back and available for choice. For that first game, I believe it was pretty much touch and go for him. And I believe that he just missed the first game by a day or so due to the travel days and training session dates.
They were sort of attempting to “have a big day and then have a day off,” but I believe his big day was really the day before the game, when it just poured rain and ruined his practice. He should be well, in my opinion,” said Maxwell. “Being close friends, I’ve been talking to him a lot. He says he feels ready to go and that he’s both excited and disappointed that he couldn’t be on the field for the first game. He has a lot of enthusiasm for our team, and in competitions like these, you need someone who can win matches.
