Better sense should prevail as Glenn Maxwell gives another reminder of his class
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“Oh, The Big Show, the Ball flies and flies to reach the stands. What a cricketer!!” - The typically reticent Tim Paine uttered those words at the top of his lungs as Glenn Maxwell deposited Cameron Boyce over deep mid-wicket. We were witnessing a carnage of another level in the Melbourne derby.
The emotion in Paine’s lines was hard to miss as it was for a cricketer who had fought far bigger battles recently, been a happy face to turn the clock back and answered all the questions in style. Here is a cricketer who never knew anything other than big-hitting and batted for those uncomplicated aspects that make a man a legend. The 83 runs off 45 balls against city rivals Melbourne Renegades was typical of Maxwell. It was chanceless, there was no restraint, and more importantly, it was an innings that talked a lot about his character.
Today, he came down the track against Cameron Boyce, helped find Dan Christian’s harmless half-volleys their due place on the stands, ensured Richard Gleeson looked at the Docklands’ second-tier more than even the wicketkeeper. Ever since he made his comeback to the cricket field after a small sabbatical to tackle issues surrounding his anxiety and depression, his performances in this season of the Big Bash League so far has been a revelation. It is also a reminder for the Australian team who ignored him for the India series on the basis of his poor World Cup form, where he averaged 22.12 across 10 innings.
In the last three matches alone, the Big Show has registered a total of 183 runs without being dismissed once. That also placed him in the top bracket of highest run-scorers in the league, with Marcus Stoinis, only 20 runs more than him, secures the top spot as he falls short at the second place. While the runs that he has scored have been amazing, the context makes it even more beautiful. Not only has Maxwell played his part to perfection as a finisher, remaining unbeaten in four out of the eight teams, his 169.94 strike rate also helped Melbourne Stars players, especially Stoinis to bat freely and construct proper innings at the top of the order. To put things in perspective, Stoinis has an S/R of 119.92. You guessed it, right?
© GettyMaxwell might be a topic of debate in ODIs and Tests, with opinions being provided from both the sides - equally damning and supporting - but his T20I career for Australia is beyond everything else. Of the 26 batsmen with over 1500 runs in T20Is, the Victorian, with a strike rate of 158.20 stands at the top of the pile. With three centuries in the last three years, he was also the centrepiece to Australia’s dream of lifting their first T20 World Cup. All things considered, it seems a bit weird that he has been jettisoned from the squad for the three ODIs, starting January 14 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Common sense prevails that the T20 form can never be the major parameter on which an ODI career can be considered to be successful, but Australia has been beyond this mundane logic all the time. Nevermind the great Marsh Cup that Marnus Labuschagne had, no one, not even Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns would disagree that his inclusion in the ODI side and a potential debut on Tuesday is the product of his recent heroics in red-ball cricket? Honestly, that is not a problem but the bigger problem is not considering Maxwell's case for the role of finisher.
Of course, Maxwell, through his World Cup performance six months ago, didn’t inspire a lot of confidence but he was not always out and out, a flop. Coming into the tournament on the back of a number of match-winning knocks against Pakistan in the UAE, he had a lot of careless dismissals in the world event, but that was a story worth retailing. Against India and Sri Lanka, he burst through, briefly yet incandescently, as Australia left hoping for more. But like many things with Maxwell, he failed by giving a reminder of his immeasurable ability and stoicity as a player par excellence.
For now, the Victorian would not mind finding himself at the centre of Big Bash League where he is an ultimate star for the Melbourne Stars, the franchise who with seven wins from eight games find themselves at the top of the table now. He can go on, on and on, entertain the audience across the lengths and breadths of Australia before the men who matter realise the mistake they committed. Hope, it won’t cost them big-time.
