Glenn Maxwell is disappointed by the side shows that continue to linger around his cricket but insists his eyes are focused on the remainder of the Big Bash League campaign with the Melbourne Stars.
A magnet for attention, Maxwell again hit the headlines on the eve of this month’s one-day international series between Australia and India after national team coach Justin Langer became engaged in a tense dialogue with a reporter when questioned about claims Maxwell had previously made that he was advised not to play English county cricket last year in order to freshen up for Australia A commitments later in the year.
Glenn MaxwellCredit:AAP
Maxwell was ultimately overlooked for the ‘A’ tour of India and then missed selection for the ensuing Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. Several other batsmen including Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne all played in the UAE series on the back of being involved in the India tour.
Speaking in Warragul on Tuesday ahead of the Stars’ clash with the Adelaide Strikers in Moe on Wednesday, Maxwell said the distractions weren’t ideal.
“I suppose it was disappointing that these things pop up,” Maxwell said.
“I feel like I’m just going about my own business and trying to get ready for a series, and then something else happens, or something else pops up. It feels like it’s out of my control. But we move on, and we just worry about the next game at hand. That’s why I’m really excited about tomorrow.”
The Moe meeting will be the second game back with the Stars for Maxwell and fellow Australian ODI players Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa, who were unavailable for three Big Bash League matches during the ODI window.
Maxwell’s spot in the ODI set-up is also a point of contention, with opinions split as to whether he should be batting higher than No.7, where he came in against the Indians. The Victorian had a reasonable series with the bat, making 11 not out from just five balls in the first match before posting scores of 48 and 26. He also contributed from limited chances with the ball, taking 1-16 from four overs in the second game.
The lowlight, however, came from dropping MS Dhoni on zero in game three, with the former Indian skipper going on to score a series-clinching 87 not out.
Maxwell acknowledged it had been a mixed series.
“I felt like I played my role almost as well as I could have,” he said.
“I felt like with the opportunities I was given I tried to play the situation of the game as well as I could. With limited overs with the ball I felt like I did a handy job there. I suppose the disappointing thing was all the work I do on my fielding, to let an opportunity like that slip was probably the most disappointing thing out of it. It made for a sleepless night after that. I know that all the hard work that I’m doing off the field and have done my whole career, I can’t let one moment like that define it.”
As for his batting spot, Maxwell insisted that he had a team-first attitude.
“I’ve always said, whatever position in the Australian side they ask me to do, I’ll try to do it as well as I can. Whether it be facing five balls or 25 overs, I’ve just got to try and do that as well as I can. Hopefully that bodes well for us winning games. In that game that I only faced five balls, we won the game. I think that’s a sign that I’m doing my job, my role, and I’ve just got to try and stay in that team for as long as I can.”
With four wins and five losses, the Stars remain very much in the finals hunt entering the game against the reigning BBL champions.
“We’re in a position now where we can still drive the rest of the tournament and control our own destiny. With the squad that we’ve got, I feel like we can do that,” Maxwell said.
Organisers say more than 3000 tickets have been sold for the clash in the regional centre.
The Stars have named an unchanged squad for the match, while the Strikers have included paceman Wes Agar, who is in the mix to line up against housemate Tom O'Connell of the Stars.
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