Botha has positive spin
Veteran praises Maxwell as he prepares for return showdown with Stars
WILY veteran Johan Botha has lauded Glenn Maxwell as the best player in the Big Bash as the Hurricanes prepare for round two against the Stars on Monday.
Hobart survived a Maxwell onslaught on Saturday night to secure a 21- run victory, with the Melbourne skipper carving out a 37- ball 72 in a match where every other batsman struggled to find rhythm. The Stars were in cruise control at 3- 112 in the 13th over chasing 165, but when man of the match Scott Boland ( 3- 22) broke a 72- run stand between Nicholas Pooran and Maxwell it opened the door for the hosts to pounce. Botha landed the killer blow three balls later when Maxwell skied a short ball to deep mid- wicket, with the visitors then losing 6- 26.
“He must be the best player in this tournament, he just showed his class and power and we had to get him out to have a chance of winning,” said Botha, who finished with 1- 18 from three overs.
“For me personally it takes the pressure off you a little bit ( bowling to players of the calibre of Maxwell). You just want to bowl your best ball and he is that good that you know he can hit boundaries off your best balls.
“You have just got to try and force him to keep hitting good shots, and you don’t want to give a good player like that easy balls. I think we did that pretty well, he hit some unbelievable shots but I still think to most other players, those would have been, you know, good balls that would probably go for one.”
Former South African captain Botha, 38, was a shock signing for the Hurricanes on the eve of BBL| 10, having walked away from the side mid- tournament 12 months ago and announcing his immediate retirement.
But after helping out with Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield side during the hub in Adelaide, discussions about a return to the field began.
It has been a shrewd signing by the Canes, adding another spin option to leggie Will Parker and Sandeep Lamichhane.
“I didn’t think it was going to come again. So it’s nice to have another chance and hopefully I can keep contributing and help the team,” Botha said. “If I had to go to a new team now I probably wouldn’t have done it. It is a team I know, it’s a team I played for last and it was something I still felt I could do.”