Published: Sep 11, 2016, 05:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 12, 2016, 12:40 AM (IST)
One player’s loss is another’s gain. It is a widely used phrase especially in the field of sports. It does not only cater to two players wearing different outfits but also from the same dugout. Australia came back strong in the limited-overs series after the drubbing in Tests. After nailing the One-Day International (ODI) series 4-1, Australia were set to avenge the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side but lost one of their star batsmen, Aaron Finch due to injury. This made an opener’s slot up for grabs and eventually fell in the grasp of comeback man, Glenn Maxwell.
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Maxwell has been under the scanner of national selectors for some time. Maxwell has been their occasional star having a career marred with inconsistencies. He played a blinder in the third match of the five-match ODI series against India at the start of 2016 with a match-winning knock of 95 off 92 balls. On the other hand, Maxwell fell flat in the ICC World T20 2016 and followed it up with another below par performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016.
Australia’s next assignment in limited-overs was in the Tri-Nation series, played in West Indies. Maxwell was in and out of the team but again played a vital knock in Australia’s run to the finals. His you-miss-I-hit style of play made the selectors ignore him in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Finch’s finger injury in the final ODI against Sri Lanka opened the doors for the ‘Big Show’ to unleash big shots at the unpredictable bowling line-up of the hosts from the first over.
Is this the best position for Maxwell?
More than being able to make it to the Playing XI, Maxwell gained more by opening along with stand-in skipper, David Warner. Usually batting in the middle-order, Maxwell had a stern test to open the innings but he took the challenge on extremely well. It is not a hidden fact that the shorter formats are more suited to power hitters and Maxwell fits the bill exceptionally. Teams look out for openers who can go all out from the word go and getting to open the innings in his comeback trail was a blessing in disguise for Maxwell.
Regular opener, Finch is a class player of the shortest formats and he is also akin in taking on the opponents’ bowlers but Maxwell plays more freely. If he stays till the first half of the innings, Maxwell can outclass any rival team. This is what was evident in the two-T20I series against Sri Lanka. Australia did nothing wrong as Maxwell ensured the match swung in his team’s favour whenever he showed up with the willow.
Maxwell did nothing extraordinary. He just did what he is best at. Maxwell is a good puller of the ball, plays the paddle-sweeps, reverse sweeps, switch hits and straight shots, which makes things difficult for the bowlers. On the other hand, Finch goes with the upper drives, square cuts and straight shots but is not as innovative with his shots like Maxwell. However, Maxwell is a risky investment by a team as he does not get runs in every match but ensures the game ends quickly, if and when he gets going.
Maxwell rampage was witnessed in both games as he finished the series with 211 runs (the second highest in a bilateral T20I series). Maxwell’s 145 off 65 balls made way for Australia’s series whitewash. With such a thundering response by Maxwell, has he done enough for attaining the openers’ slot? Will Finch be handy as a middle-order batsman for Australia? If we analyse this a bit, there is a good chance he may make way for Maxwell to open the innings with Warner. Australia paid the price making Warner bat at No. 3 or No. 4 in World T20 2016 and may not dwell upon shifting him down the order.
Finch’s ability to adapt may force him to sacrifice opener’s slot: This opens up a good contest between Maxwell and Finch. Maxwell is more gifted in terms of going for the aerial shot and putting the opposition on the mat from the first over whereas Finch believes in stitching his innings with pace and composure. Seeing their style of play, Maxwell is suited to open in T20Is whereas Finch can face the first over in ODIs.
Maxwell’s shortcomings as a player also make Finch a better option for a middle-order batsman. Finch batted in the middle-order for Gujarat Lions (GL) in IPL 2016 to accommodate genuine power hitters like Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith up the order. The ploy worked for Suresh Raina’s GL as they made it to the play-offs in their maiden IPL season. This only allowed GL to play aggressively and unsettle the opponents from initial overs. Finch also carved out some beautiful innings handling the middle-order. He ended the season with 373 runs at an average of 39.33 with five fifties.
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Finch is more skilled as a batsman than Maxwell and may have to sacrifice his position to give Maxwell the full license to go after the opposition team. This way Maxwell can take Australia to a blistering start whereas Finch, being more adaptable, can still come down the order and play according to situations. With Australia not shy of experimenting, they may try a genuine hitter like Maxwell ahead of Finch whereas the latter can still contribute in the middle-order, after becoming fit.
So will Finch have to don a new role for the sake of his team who are yet to win a major title in the shortest format? Maxwell’s success has surely raised some pleasant headaches for the national selectors which may keep the viewers guessing till Australia play their next T20I match.
(Aditya Sahay is a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)
