Controversial player may miss second game

CONTROVERSIAL allrounder Glenn Maxwell could still find himself benched in Australia’s second oneday international against New Zealand today.

Darren Lehmann’s embattled side coasted to a 68-run victory against the visitors in the first game in Sydney on Sunday, with captain Steve Smith scoring 164 and combining in a 127-run partnership with allrounder Travis Head (52).

However, Maxwell was not selected for the game and was fined for comments he made beforehand expressing how painful it had been for him to bat behind wicketkeeper Matthew Wade for Victoria.

The team’s performance on Sunday, ending a fivematch losing streak in the one-day format, probably meant that Maxwell could again find himself on the bench, which Head suggested.

“When you win like we did yesterday, I’m not expecting it to change too much,” Head said in Canberra yesterday.

Despite his own role in the victory and having played 13 of the side’s 16 one-dayers since his debut against West Indies in June, Head said he was taking nothing for granted.

Meanwhile, aggressive batsman Colin Munro may have given an insight into New Zealand’s batting order tactics after they created a debate yesterday.

Munro, 29, whose strike rate in limited-overs cricket is among the highest in the New Zealand team, did not come in until No 6 and anchored the middle order on Sunday, scoring 49 runs from 59 balls before becoming the ninth wicket to fall.

“It was a different sort of knock than I am used to playing,” he said.

Munro was dropped behind all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and wicketkeeper BJ Watling to No 6 on Sunday and the demotion of the aggressive Colin de Grandhomme to No 8 caused a debate in New Zealand’s media yesterday.

De Grandhomme and Munro provide their domestic side Auckland with an explosive middle-order double punch, something former international Andre Adams said should be used in the second game in Canberra today.