Glenn Maxwell will be sorely missed by Australia in T20Is against India
Glenn Maxwell will be sorely missed by Australia in T20Is against India
After thrashing India in the One-Day International (ODI) series Australia will now look to embark on winning ways once again as we gear up for shortest and newest entrant in the cricketing world. i.e. Twenty20 (T20) International series. India and Australia will participate in three-match T20I series against each other starting on Tuesday with the first match being played at Adelaide. Australia will be having a change of hat, with Aaron Finch taking over the captaincy duties from Steven Smith. Australian team will surely have a couple of new and few older faces that come to perform at the grandest stage one could get to showcase. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: 1st T20I match, India vs Australia, 2015-16
With the likes of Shaun Tait, Shane Watson and coming back in, it will be the absence of Glenn ‘The Bigshow’ Maxwell that will have utmost importance in the first match. Maxwell. who has been sidelined from the first T20I due knock on the knee, will be sorely missed as he has been in rich form, well backed with his rivalry with the Indians. India vs Australia 2015-16 ODI series: Marks out of 10 for the visitors
Maxwell, who played the thorn in India’s chances of a win at Melbourne in the third ODI making a blistering 96 off 83 balls is a proof that how devastating form he has been in. Even in the fifth ODI, having been struck on the knee, Maxwell continued to bat and how! Maxwell managed 41 off just 20 balls with a strike rate of 205. Maxwell played some exhilarating shots in this mini bash of an innings, which caught India off-guard in more than one way.
Coming into the T20Is, Maxwell is yet to dazzle at the international stage with his batting but is already an enigma when it comes to the T20 format of the game. In 141 games for teams like Melbourne Stars, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Maxwell has managed to accumulate 2,690 runs at an average of 22.23. Not impressive you would say, right? But one thing one fails to notice is the flabbergasting strike rate of 154.50, which be said is lower than his national career rate of 159.91 for Australia. Maxwell had been monumental in winning IPL for Mumbai Indians and helping Kings XI Punjab till finals. India will do much better in T20I series against Australia, says Dean Jones
His current T20 form coming into the series has been impressive playing for Melbourne Stars in Big Bash League 2015-16, were he hit 151 runs in 5 matches at an average of 37.75 at a strike rate of 142.45 (rather low for his standards). Maxwell is also no mug with the ball providing much needed breakthroughs whenever needed.
The last time Maxwell ridiculed bowlers in a T20 international match was against England at Cardiff in August 2015 where he nearly just nearly got his team to victory. Maxwell made run-a-ball 44 before Australia decided to do an India against England (collapse miserably).
Even with immense hitting powers in the Australia batting order, what they miss in Maxwell is outright madness and intrusive striking abilities. India going into the first match will for once feel sigh of relief knowing there isn’t Maxwell waiting in docks just to unleash himself on the wretched bowling attack, which has already been taken apart from Australia to Antarctica.
(Vishal Mehra is reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @vishal_oxyjinn)