BOWLING OVER THE CRITICS
DESPITE having a line-up of quicks who will go down as greats of the game, Australia has declared Glenn Maxwell the most critical bowling weapon of its World Cup defence.
Maxwell’s batting has been under the microscope in the lead-up to the tournament following a run of low scores, but the reality is the X-factor is perhaps the most undroppable member of the Australian juggernaut.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the bowler of the tournament at last year’s World Cup and the formidable trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are all heavyduty match winners in every format.
Yet Australian coach Andrew McDonald says it’s “part-timer” Maxwell who sets his team apart and tactically paved the way for its history-making success.
Maxwell has often been misunderstood or even maligned by Australian teams and selectors over the years as an enigma – the round peg they couldn’t fit into a square hole. On the scoresheets, at least, Maxwell didn’t have a major impact on the team’s drought-breaking T20 triumph in the UAE last year.
But this Australian side views Maxwell through a new prism, and it’s not just about the Big Show scoring big runs.
“We like to consider ‘Maxi’ a frontline bowler but he probably doesn’t get put in that discussion,” said McDonald. “I think Glenn Maxwell is the key to our bowling.
“If we were to get thrown in conditions where the second spinner becomes critically important, that’s the luxury of having Glenn Maxwell in the team. He’s that three-dimensional player.
“He allowed us in the UAE to be able to play the way that we wanted. He didn’t have the World Cup that he probably wanted, but just by being in the team, just the way we were able to structure up, allowed us that freedom.
“Now if you don’t have Glenn Maxwell there, clearly then you’ve got a debate about shrinking down your batting and playing two spinners, which most of the other teams tended to do.”
Maxwell’s rise to now being considered a ”frontline” bowling option by Australia has not happened by accident.
When the 34-year-old is thrown the ball by Aaron Finch these days, he views himself as a wicket-taker not an over-filler.
“To be able to be relied on to bowl and be an impact bowler, not just be a guy who gets through his overs quick, but an impact bowler who can get wickets and slow the run rate down is something that has taken time and a bit of developing, but I feel really confident with it at the moment,” Maxwell said.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work in behind the scenes – a couple of pre-seasons with Victoria where I’ve been able to sit down and actually do some work on it and do some filming and tinker with some other things.
“When I’ve been playing IPL and
Big Bash, I’ve been bowling a fair bit, and the more I bowled in those competitions, the more I became more viable for the Australian side in limited overs cricket.
“Having a set role in that team has allowed me to get into the game a bit easier – and it means my bowling can become a bonus as well.”
Maxwell’s experience also becomes a vital factor, as one of a handful of Australian stars who has the experience of what it’s like to conquer the unique pressure of a home World Cup and lift the trophy at the MCG in front of 100,000 people.
In 2015, Maxwell was part of the Australian side that overcame a crushing loss to New Zealand early in that tournament and major trouble in a quarter-final against Pakistan to live up to the enormous expectations put on the team.
He knows what it takes.
“In the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup, we actually addressed how important it was to embrace the stresses of being favourites and having that
World Cup at home,” Maxwell said. “We were the No.1 team in the world at that stage. There was a lot of expectation.
“We had different players from the last crop that hosted the World Cup (in 1992), and those players came in and spoke to the group, which was really cool – talking about the experiences they had and the expectations they felt.
“We were able to basically just address it and move on.
“The way our group is playing T20 cricket, I don’t think it phases us too much.
“The big moments that happen in games, we don’t get overawed by it.
“We don’t try and shy away from it.
“It feels like we embrace it as a group and try and take it head on.”
Australia open their World Cup defence against New Zealand on Saturday night at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in a repeat of the World Cup final in the United Arab Emirates last year.