I didn't really want to bat yesterday: Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell pummelled the Dutch bowlers into submission yesterday in the ICC Cricket World Cup, scoring 106 runs off just 44 balls, despite being sick during the match. 

When asked how ill he was, Maxwell said in the post-match press conference, “I was sitting in the changing room, and I didn't really want to bat, which is a bit different than last game where I was way too eager to get out there. And then we talked about over arousal levels and I probably reached double maximum if you couldn't tell. But yeah, I was a little bit more chilled when I got out there. Didn't have many high hopes, I think. But yeah, I've been pretty cooked the last couple of days. Coincided with the sleepless night last night with the family over”. 

Australia had big partnerships for the second and third wickets between David Warner and Steve Smith (132 off 118 balls) and then Warner and Marnus Labuschagne (84 off 76 balls). Warner scored 104 off just 93 balls, and Steve Smith finally found his hands this World Cup with a well-made 71. However, when Maxwell arrived at the crease, Australia had lost Josh Inglis and Warner in quick succession. The aggressive batter had to bat in a sedate fashion, which is not how he usually bats.

Also read - When the Big Show Glenn Maxwell returned to the big stage

“It's a bit weird that I had to calm myself down for the first 20 odd balls and rebuild. I think the circumstances of, I suppose, the timing of the wickets probably changed the way I would have gone about it if it was just me and Davey at the back end. I felt like I was just super selective. Even with the boundaries I was hitting, until I got to about 50 or 60, I was literally hitting them flat through the gap or picking my spots pretty clearly where I wanted to go and it was only the back end where I tried to just pump everything.”

It was a crucial phase for Maxwell as he hasn’t had a long run for Australia in the format. However, his familiarity with batting lower down the order and his performance in the IPL set him up for this innings. Maxwell acknowledged the same. 

“Well, I think the fact that I've made runs in India during the IPL pretty regularly over the last couple of years, so I'm not too worried about people saying that I haven't made runs in ODI cricket because it doesn't really matter, especially my role in one-day cricket. It's so similar to T20, so I just draw on those experiences, knowing that if I do get it right on the day, hopefully my team will be winning. Having had a bit of success this year in India during the IPL, I've come to India during this World Cup full of confidence and even started well in the practice games with a good 70 against Pakistan.”

In his blitzkrieg of an innings, he played some incredulous shots, especially the reverse sweeps he hit over backward point for six against Logan van Beek. He mentioned how that shot gave him a lot of satisfaction. 

“There was probably one where I thought I was out, the reverse of Van Beek that went for six over backward point. I thought it was going to be slower into the wicket or back of the length and he bowled it full at I think middle and off. And luckily enough my hand speed got me out of trouble and I suppose that's just the thing.”

Maxwell almost had a perfect match yesterday, as he got the Dutch opener Vikramjit Singh run out with a direct hit. However, he was quite irked by the light show that happened in the middle of the second innings, and he expressed his disappointment on the same during the press conference. He described it as a “great idea for fans, horrible idea for the players.”

He said, “Well, I had something like that light show similar happened at Perth Stadium during a Big Bash game and I just felt like it gave me shocking headaches and it takes me a while for my eyes to readjust and I just think it's the dumbest idea for cricketers when you've got this thing coming at you quickly and your eyes take so long to adjust and I think we just lost a wicket and the Perth Stadium lights went nuts and I was at the other end and it took me ages to get my eyes to go again and I felt like I had a headache - so I just try and cover up as much as I possibly can and ignore it but it's a horrible, horrible idea.”

However, his teammate Warner clearly disagreed with his assessment as he tweeted how it was all about the fans, and that he loved the show. 

Australia play New Zealand next in Dharamshala on October 28th. As the HPCA Stadium is a small ground, just like Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the fans can expect another blistering knock down the order from Glenn Maxwell.