ENGLAND GETS IT RIGHT, SO WHY CAN’T WE?
England has ‘got it right’
GLENN Maxwell says Australia’s batting tactics are outdated in the one-day arena and urged players to get “tougher” in the hunt for boundaries.
Maxwell, 28, was dropped from the ODI squad and Australia has slumped to 0-3 in the five-match series against England in his absence.
The destructive batsman said the pain of the snub had been further soured by Melbourne Stars’ woodenspoon season.
But Maxwell is in career-best form and posted his highest Big Bash score (84 off 47 balls) on Tuesday, despite battling conjunctivitis and injuries to both sides of his neck.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann watched from the SCG commentary box as he slashed seven fours and four sixes.
“I did see him [Lehmann],” he said. “I said hello, and that was it.”
The electrifying allrounder said England was playing the “new brand of one-day cricket” with Australia’s World Cup defence only 18 months away.
“[England] go as hard as you can for 15 or 16 overs [and then] chill out for 10 — but that’s still going at six or seven per over,” Maxwell said.
“There’s no chill out time for them. Whereas the Australian one-day team, over a period of time, our chillout time has been 4.5-5 [runs] an over and just making sure we conserve wickets. These days you can’t afford to do it. You’ve got to be a little bit tougher and a little bit more boundary-conscious.”
He said nudging singles was not going to cut it in an ODI.
Australia plays dead rubbers against England in Adelaide tomorrow and Perth on Sunday before the Twenty20 tri-series, for which Maxwell was selected.
“I feel like I’ve changed a little bit. I’m able to work my way through situations instead of going and blasting it,” he said. “I feel confident about my game. I’m hitting the ball well, I’m working my way through situations better and I’m picking my areas a lot smarter.”
Maxwell picked up the eye condition from teammate Rob Quiney’s young daughter.
“I got it on Saturday morning and it’s made it hard to see,” he said.
“At times I had to pull away — trying to refocus after blinking is difficult. I hurt my neck at training, and I hurt the other side when I went to the switch-hit.”