It Was Nerve-Wracking When...: Glenn Maxwell Makes Honest Admission After His Match-Winning Knock Against South Africa
Chasing 173 for victory, Australia were in deep trouble at 122/6, before Maxwell took charge and produced another piece of run-chasing brilliance. The big-hitting Aussie star played an unbeaten knock (62 off 36 balls) with the help of eight fours and two sixes at a strike-rate of 172.22.
As the equation came down to four required from two balls, Maxwell finished the job with a trademark reverse sweep six off the match's penultimate ball and guided Australia to a series victory.
After his match-winning knock, the 36-year-old said that it was nerve-wracking in the middle when Australia lost a couple of wickets in a row.
"It was nerve-wracking when we lost a couple of wickets in a row. Corbin Bosch bowled a brilliant over. To keep the run-rate near 9 or 10, we were down to two wickets, I had to keep the majority of the strike," said Maxwell in the post-match presentation.
"Nice to get a couple out of the middle right at the end. I just stay calm, watch the ball, try and not preempt too much, understand the areas where I can get the boundaries and where I can get the twos. Just tried to stay on strike as much as possible," he added.
The veteran all-rounder mentioned that the series win against South Africa is a confidence booster for Australia before the 2026 T20 World Cup.
"We've had a great run with this T20 group. To have another series win against a quality opposition in South African is great for our confidence heading forward. There's still about 13-14 internationals before the T20 World Cup and we are building something really nice in this group. It's certainly a very fun change room to be in and I am enjoying every moment," said Maxwell.
Also Read: Glenn Maxwell's Unbeaten Fifty Leads Australia To 2-1 Series Win Over South Africa
Meanwhile, Tim David, who got the Player of the series winner acknowledged that he might not have received the honour of winning the award had it not been for Maxwell's 'blinding innings'.
"Without Maxi playing a blinder inning tonight, I wouldn't have been standing here. There's been contributions from everyone in this series. We've had so much fun, we had a great time playing up in the northern Australia. Let's see what happens in the future," said David.
Speaking about his own batting form, David said," Just enjoying going out there and competing. Keeping it really simple and not trying too hard. Form comes and goes but I feel like the lot of work I have been doing, it's been contributing to success for this team. We have got so many different people who can contribute, so I'm happy to be part of that at the moment.
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