Glenn Maxwell: A six-hitting, record-setting Aussie maverick peaking at World Cups

India Gazette

2 days ago

New Delhi [India], June 2 (ANI): Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell retired from ODI cricket following a glittering 149-match career spanning over a decade as one of the format's most exhilarating performers, who could twist and turn games like a roller-coaster with each swing of the bat.
The 36-year-old has lived a contrasting life as an international cricketer in eyes of many. So much talent, but yet patches of inconsistency. Exciting to watch, but yet frustrating at times. A match-winner, but yet someone who could lose it sometimes within an instant.
If anything, Maxwell's career has taught fans never to measure his accomplishments on basis of sheer numbers and consistency, but on how much impact he managed to make when he truly took a moment and seized it.
While 3,990 runs in 149 matches and 136 innings at an average of 33.81, with four centuries and 23 fifties and 77 wickets might look ordinary to some, there are some metrics and records that truly go under-the-radar. In these numbers lies a match-winner that Maxwell has truly been.
Having batted at a variety of positions from one to eight, Maxwell's career never had to be about volume, but rather explosiveness. Its his eye catchy bat swing, audacious reverse ramps, sweeps and pulls that made Maxwell the 'Showman', which is also the rightful title of his autobiography. A bizzare, head-scratching first-ball duck or an explosive century that left fans wanting for more and trying to give their eyes and jaws some rest, Maxwell's batting was as they say in Gen Z slang: Absolute Cinema!
-Entertainment over numbers!
As per Wisden, he has scored the fifth more runs for Australia while batting at positions five or below and has had the best strike rate while going at it (123.36). All his four ODI centuries have come from position five or below, with one at number five, two at six (Yes! Including a double ton) and one at number seven. Only legendary Andrew Symonds (6) has more centuries in the same role, as per Wisden.
Maxwell's striking power has been one of the most ridiculous parts of his game. Among batters with at least 1,000 ODI runs, he has the best strike rate ever for Australia (126.70). Only West Indies (WI) all-rounder Andre Russell (130.22), while playing almost 1/3rds less innings and matches than the Aussie (56 ODIs and 47 innings). The fact that Maxwell sustained his game for so long only adds to his legend.
Among the players with atleast 150 ODI sixes, only 17 out of hundreds or thousands to have played the format, his six-hitting ability stands out. His sixes-to-innings ratio of 1.13 is only bettered by Indian opener Rohit Sharma (1.29). He is in the elite company of proper top-order stars like Chris Gayle, Martin Guptill and Jos Buttler as a true middle-order maverick.
For him, it was not about delivering numbers, but how fast he could do it, as much as possible.
-Reliable in Asia
The all-rounder thrived in Asian conditions, a region frustrating for so many greats. Plenty of legends could never really figure out batting against spin in hot, humid, sticky weather on spinny dustbowls.
But Maxwell delivered fine numbers in this region, with 1,533 runs in 46 matches, 44 innings at an average of 40.34, strike rate of over 131, with two centuries and nine fifties. Half of his tons have come in Asia. His iconic double ton against Afghanistan during 2023 World Cup while chasing 292 single-handedly battling cramps, back spasm and heat is all one needs to watch to get acquainted with how he unlocked the next level of his batting in Asia.
-A World Cup hero for Australia
Maxwell has been a two-time World Cup winner, in 2015 and 2019.
When he wore the WC medal for the first time in 2015 at home, he carried along with it 324 runs in six innings he could be really proud of. They came with an average of 64.80 and strike rate of 182.02. Even other two top-scorers, David Warner and Steve Smith could not mix consistency with madness like this.
Against Sri Lanka, he smashed a 51-ball ton from number five, then the second-fastest WC ton and fastest by an Aussie. Along with fifties against England and an up-and-coming Afghanistan, he delivered a quickfire 14-ball 23 versus India in semis, which battered them a little more.
While he could deliver just 177 runs in 10 innings during the 2019 WC at an average of just 22.13 with best score of 46* against SL, his strike rate was still impressive at 150.00.
During the 2023 WC in India, it is impossible not to mention his 201* in 128 balls against an inspired Afghanistan which took Aussies from 91/7 to a miraculous victory. The resillient in face of bodily pain, mental anguish and heat was such that several fans who loved themselves an underdog story of the 'Rise of Afghanistan' switched their allegiance to yellow colours just to see Maxi's meditative effort on the pitch pay off.
Also in Delhi against Netherlands, he broke the record for fastest WC ton of Aiden Markram (49 balls), smashing it in 40 balls against Netherlands while coming in the 40th over!
The all-rounder's record breaking ways met a fitting conclusion as winning runs from his bat guided Australia to their sixth title against a rampaging India, which suddenly looked so mortal and powerless in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Maxwell ended the tournament with 400 runs in nine innings at an average of 66.67, strike rate of above 150 with two centuries, ending as team's third-highest run-getter above accumulators like Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who could not cross 400-mark.
Three of his four ODI tons came in World Cup, highlighting his big tournament ability. He struck 43 sixes for Australia in the tournament history, highest from his country and third-best behind Chris Gayle (49) and Rohit Sharma (54).
His strike rate of 160.32 in 25 innings is also the best in marquee tournament's history among batters with atleast five innings. He has scored 901 runs in 25 innings at an average of 47.42 with three centuries and two fifties.
A middle-order impact-maker, among those with 20 WC innings atleast between number four to seven, Maxwell is the only one with a strike rate above 100 and average above 50!
Maxwell's big knocks created impact, sealed wins as all his four tons and 17 out of his 23 fifties came in wins. Among players batting five or below, his four centuries in winning cause are joint-third best, behind Jos Buttler, Symonds and Tom Latham, and equal with AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni among others.
-A gun spinner and fielder
Maxwell took 77 wickets in his career at an average above 47, with best figures of 4/40 and four four-wicket hauls.
These are fifth-highest wickets among tweakers in Australia, with Shane Warne (291), Adam Zampa (187), Brad Hogg (156) and Peter Taylor (97) having more.
His four four-fers are only outdone by Warne (12+ one five wicket haul), Zampa (11+ one five wicket haul) and Hogg (three+ two five wicket hauls) among spinners.
He is in elite company of four Aussies with over 3,000 runs and 75-plus wickets: Steve Waugh (7,569 runs and 195 wickets), Mark Waugh (8,500 runs and 85 wickets), Shane Watson (5,757 runs and 168 wickets) and Symonds (5,088 runs and 133 wickets).
A gun fielder with 91 catches, the seventh-highest, he took 0.61 catches per game, the highest ratio among Aussies with 100 ODI caps. (ANI)