Ponting to flick Maxi switch

RICKY Ponting has declared he is the man to reignite Glenn Maxwell.

With the enigmatic allrounder’s international career at the crossroads, Ponting has revealed how headhunting Maxwell to play for his Indian Premier League franchise Delhi at last weekend’s auction was a ploy inspired by a belief he can unlock Australia’s biggest untapped resource.

The former Australian skip- per is serving as Darren Lehmann’s assistant for the Twenty20 tri-series kicking off on Saturday night against New Zealand at the SCG and has confirmed he has been talking with Cricket Australia for more than six months about the prospect of taking over as their specialist T20 head coach for the next World Cup.

For Ponting — a cricket mastermind at the forefront of Australia’s plans — to want to invest $1.7 million in Maxwell and relish the chance to act as his mentor in the IPL, shapes as the 29-year-old’s passport back to fulfilling his potential.

He is adamant he knows how to drive Maxwell back from the brink.

“Yeah, I do. That was the main reason I went as hard for him as I did [in the IPL auction],” he said.

“I’ve been pretty close to Maxi for a few years and I think I know how to get the best out of him.

“I’ve already had a chat to him about what my expecta- tions are of him by the time we get to Delhi. I think he’s already turned a bit of a corner himself anyway to be honest. I think there’s a lot of positive signs for him.

“I just think having the right people around him on a consistent basis [can be the difference]. I think the fact I’ll have him there for a couple of months and I’ll be in his ear and in his back pocket and pushing him . . . the whole time, that’s why I think I can get the best out of him that way.”