Glenn Maxwell belts 13 sixes for Washington Freedom in landmark Major League Cricket century
Glenn Maxwell may have called time on his one-day international career but he's shown his T20 brilliance remains undimmed as he took the 'Big Show' Stateside with a thrilling, landmark century in Major League Cricket.
'Maxi', who announced his decision to depart the international 50-over scene at the start of the month, demonstrated why he must still be in contention for T20 World Cup duty next year as he became the first Australian to crash a ton in the third season of the US competition.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Maxwell belts 13 sixes in staggering MLC knock.
Putting on his inimitable best for champions Washington Freedom, captain Maxwell, who had a wretched time in the Indian Premier League before a broken finger ruled him out of the business end of Punjab Kings' season, smashed 106no off just 49 balls as they crushed Los Angeles Knight Riders by 113 runs.
Coming in at No.6 with the Freedom in some bother at 4-68 in the eighth over on Tuesday, a typically thunderous Maxwell affair, featuring 13 sixes and a couple of fours, helped blitz Freedom to 5-208 before the Washington bowlers then skittled LA for 95. It was the 36-year-old's eighth T20 ton in all.
Maxwell was delighted to get back among the runs again after scoring just 48 in his six IPL innings for the Kings - and reckoned he owed a big score to his great friend and coach at both franchises, Ricky Ponting.
'It felt like just a bit of time out in the middle was all I needed to feel that confidence coming back,' said Maxwell.
'I've probably let him (Ponting) down in a few of the tournaments that we've played together.
'It's nice that last year we were able to have success in the Freedom together, and it was a shame I couldn't be around for a lot of the back end of the IPL where I broke my finger.
'I think in this tournament, to be captain and play under him, I feel like we've got a great opportunity to hopefully add to last year's trophy.'
At the start of June, Maxwell called it a day after 149 ODIs, a career that featured surely the greatest innings of all-time in the format, his amazing unbeaten double ton that lifted Australia to a critical victory over Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup.
There were echoes of that magic knock in the far less pressurised situation of an MLC game at the Oakland Coliseum as he dealt almost exclusively in sixes, lambasting the seventh T20 century in the tournament's short history while helping them plunder 124 in the final 10 overs.
His fellow Aussie teammate Mitchell Owen had also kicked off the fun with 32 off 11 balls as opener before he later delivered with the ball too, taking 3-18 to help dismantle the LA response.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Cats' AFL unicorn Dangerfield marches on to 350th game
Once a local kid who stood on a milk crate watching his Geelong heroes from afar, Patrick Dangerfield will enter his 350th AFL game as the once-in-a-generation unicorn who transformed his boyhood club. Dangerfield will become the 25th AFL/VFL player to reach the rare milestone when he takes the field against Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. The 35-year-old notched 154 games for Adelaide between 2008 and 2015 before heading home to Geelong as a free agent. The eight-time All-Australian has added another 195 games, the 2016 Brownlow Medal, three best and fairests and a long-elusive premiership in 2022 - the Cats' first in 11 years. "It coincided with a period where I wouldn't go so far as to say we were at the crossroads, but history is a pretty good guide in terms of list management and the length of time that teams can stay up in contention," coach Chris Scott said. "And we were certainly testing the boundaries of that through that period. "He didn't do it all himself, but he did a lot of it in terms of getting us back into contention. "Pat himself talks about it a lot - there's so many people that go into making a club successful over a long period of time. But none of them more important than him. "... We were hopeful that he could help a lot, but no one could be so optimistic to think that one player is going to come in and completely transform the fortunes of our football team. "But I'm happy enough to say, in the fullness of time, that he did that." For Scott, former AFLPA president Dangerfield is a player as influential off the field as on it, noting his ability to juggle being a friendly ear to teenage draftees with having "high-powered negotiations" with the AFL hierarchy. "The impact he's had on the club, off field, it's been instructive for all of us, and certainly on a personal level he's been great for me," he said. If Dangerfield was the driving force behind Geelong's latest success, then the club has been just as important for the Moggs Creek local. He joins former teammates Gary Ablett Jr, Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins in reaching 350 games. "It speaks to the organisation and the environment that's been created that players want to hang around," he said. "They want to enjoy the environment. They want to squeeze everything out of their career. "And it's not necessarily the game that catches up with you mentally. It's your body physically failing you, which I think is a great spot to be." Scott stands by past comments that Dangerfield, an explosive midfielder with relentless attack on the ball, was a "unicorn" of a player. "He was the best player of that type in the competition," he said. "I've always had a bias, personally, towards the powerful inside midfielders. There have been some pretty good ones over the years, (Nat) Fyfe and (Dustin) Martin at that time. Patrick was singular in the way he played. "... Habitually, he does some things that no other player can do." Now in his 18th season, Dangerfield has been transformed from a midfielder to a more permanent forward, which he considers a "game changer". It appears a move that could extend his career, though he refuses to look any further forward than his contract for next year. "I'm happy to say I'm loving the game as much as I've ever loved it, to be honest," he said. "And perhaps that's because you do get closer to the end than the start. "And you realise how fortunate you are to play the game, to be involved in it, to try and feel young with the young players that come in and the stories they have and the way they go about things. ".. That keeps things fun. It keeps you willing to be around." Once a local kid who stood on a milk crate watching his Geelong heroes from afar, Patrick Dangerfield will enter his 350th AFL game as the once-in-a-generation unicorn who transformed his boyhood club. Dangerfield will become the 25th AFL/VFL player to reach the rare milestone when he takes the field against Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. The 35-year-old notched 154 games for Adelaide between 2008 and 2015 before heading home to Geelong as a free agent. The eight-time All-Australian has added another 195 games, the 2016 Brownlow Medal, three best and fairests and a long-elusive premiership in 2022 - the Cats' first in 11 years. "It coincided with a period where I wouldn't go so far as to say we were at the crossroads, but history is a pretty good guide in terms of list management and the length of time that teams can stay up in contention," coach Chris Scott said. "And we were certainly testing the boundaries of that through that period. "He didn't do it all himself, but he did a lot of it in terms of getting us back into contention. "Pat himself talks about it a lot - there's so many people that go into making a club successful over a long period of time. But none of them more important than him. "... We were hopeful that he could help a lot, but no one could be so optimistic to think that one player is going to come in and completely transform the fortunes of our football team. "But I'm happy enough to say, in the fullness of time, that he did that." For Scott, former AFLPA president Dangerfield is a player as influential off the field as on it, noting his ability to juggle being a friendly ear to teenage draftees with having "high-powered negotiations" with the AFL hierarchy. "The impact he's had on the club, off field, it's been instructive for all of us, and certainly on a personal level he's been great for me," he said. If Dangerfield was the driving force behind Geelong's latest success, then the club has been just as important for the Moggs Creek local. He joins former teammates Gary Ablett Jr, Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins in reaching 350 games. "It speaks to the organisation and the environment that's been created that players want to hang around," he said. "They want to enjoy the environment. They want to squeeze everything out of their career. "And it's not necessarily the game that catches up with you mentally. It's your body physically failing you, which I think is a great spot to be." Scott stands by past comments that Dangerfield, an explosive midfielder with relentless attack on the ball, was a "unicorn" of a player. "He was the best player of that type in the competition," he said. "I've always had a bias, personally, towards the powerful inside midfielders. There have been some pretty good ones over the years, (Nat) Fyfe and (Dustin) Martin at that time. Patrick was singular in the way he played. "... Habitually, he does some things that no other player can do." Now in his 18th season, Dangerfield has been transformed from a midfielder to a more permanent forward, which he considers a "game changer". It appears a move that could extend his career, though he refuses to look any further forward than his contract for next year. "I'm happy to say I'm loving the game as much as I've ever loved it, to be honest," he said. "And perhaps that's because you do get closer to the end than the start. "And you realise how fortunate you are to play the game, to be involved in it, to try and feel young with the young players that come in and the stories they have and the way they go about things. ".. That keeps things fun. It keeps you willing to be around." Once a local kid who stood on a milk crate watching his Geelong heroes from afar, Patrick Dangerfield will enter his 350th AFL game as the once-in-a-generation unicorn who transformed his boyhood club. Dangerfield will become the 25th AFL/VFL player to reach the rare milestone when he takes the field against Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. The 35-year-old notched 154 games for Adelaide between 2008 and 2015 before heading home to Geelong as a free agent. The eight-time All-Australian has added another 195 games, the 2016 Brownlow Medal, three best and fairests and a long-elusive premiership in 2022 - the Cats' first in 11 years. "It coincided with a period where I wouldn't go so far as to say we were at the crossroads, but history is a pretty good guide in terms of list management and the length of time that teams can stay up in contention," coach Chris Scott said. "And we were certainly testing the boundaries of that through that period. "He didn't do it all himself, but he did a lot of it in terms of getting us back into contention. "Pat himself talks about it a lot - there's so many people that go into making a club successful over a long period of time. But none of them more important than him. "... We were hopeful that he could help a lot, but no one could be so optimistic to think that one player is going to come in and completely transform the fortunes of our football team. "But I'm happy enough to say, in the fullness of time, that he did that." For Scott, former AFLPA president Dangerfield is a player as influential off the field as on it, noting his ability to juggle being a friendly ear to teenage draftees with having "high-powered negotiations" with the AFL hierarchy. "The impact he's had on the club, off field, it's been instructive for all of us, and certainly on a personal level he's been great for me," he said. If Dangerfield was the driving force behind Geelong's latest success, then the club has been just as important for the Moggs Creek local. He joins former teammates Gary Ablett Jr, Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins in reaching 350 games. "It speaks to the organisation and the environment that's been created that players want to hang around," he said. "They want to enjoy the environment. They want to squeeze everything out of their career. "And it's not necessarily the game that catches up with you mentally. It's your body physically failing you, which I think is a great spot to be." Scott stands by past comments that Dangerfield, an explosive midfielder with relentless attack on the ball, was a "unicorn" of a player. "He was the best player of that type in the competition," he said. "I've always had a bias, personally, towards the powerful inside midfielders. There have been some pretty good ones over the years, (Nat) Fyfe and (Dustin) Martin at that time. Patrick was singular in the way he played. "... Habitually, he does some things that no other player can do." Now in his 18th season, Dangerfield has been transformed from a midfielder to a more permanent forward, which he considers a "game changer". It appears a move that could extend his career, though he refuses to look any further forward than his contract for next year. "I'm happy to say I'm loving the game as much as I've ever loved it, to be honest," he said. "And perhaps that's because you do get closer to the end than the start. "And you realise how fortunate you are to play the game, to be involved in it, to try and feel young with the young players that come in and the stories they have and the way they go about things. ".. That keeps things fun. It keeps you willing to be around."
7NEWS
3 hours ago
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Patrick Dangerfield's daughter steals the show with cracking one-liner at 350th game media conference
Patrick Dangerfield's daughter Flic has stolen the show ahead of her dad's 350th AFL game. Geelong captain Dangerfield will become the 25th AFL/VFL player to reach the rare milestone when he takes the field against Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night. The 35-year-old notched 154 games for Adelaide between 2008 and 2015 before heading home to Geelong. The eight-time All-Australian has added another 195 games, the 2016 Brownlow Medal, three best and fairests and a long-elusive premiership in 2022 — the Cats' first in 11 years. He has also become a father of three to George (seven), Felicity (five) and Winnifred (two). Dangerfield had his two daughters with him at Wednesday's media conference and they joined him at the desk, while they waited for coach Chris Scott. The sisters appeared to enjoy their time in front of the microphones, with plenty of laughs and giggles. When Scott finally arrived, Flic graciously vacated the seat before she was encouraged back to the mic by her dad. 'What do you have to say to Chris ... don't get shy now,' Dangerfield said. Flic then took her moment and nailed it. 'You're late,' she said to Scott before everyone erupted in laughter. Scott hailed the recruitment of Dangerfield, which immediately helped the Cats return to the finals after a rare miss in Scott's rein. 'It coincided with a period where I wouldn't go so far as to say we were at the crossroads, but history is a pretty good guide in terms of list management and the length of time that teams can stay up in contention,' coach Chris Scott said. 'And we were certainly testing the boundaries of that through that period. 'He didn't do it all himself, but he did a lot of it in terms of getting us back into contention. 'Pat himself talks about it a lot - there's so many people that go into making a club successful over a long period of time. But none of them more important than him. '... We were hopeful that he could help a lot, but no one could be so optimistic to think that one player is going to come in and completely transform the fortunes of our football team. 'But I'm happy enough to say, in the fullness of time, that he did that.' For Scott, former AFLPA president Dangerfield is a player as influential off the field as on it, noting his ability to juggle being a friendly ear to teenage draftees with having 'high-powered negotiations' with the AFL hierarchy. 'The impact he's had on the club, off field, it's been instructive for all of us, and certainly on a personal level he's been great for me,' he said. If Dangerfield was the driving force behind Geelong's latest success, then the club has been just as important for the Moggs Creek local. He joins former teammates Gary Ablett Jr, Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins in reaching 350 games. 'It speaks to the organisation and the environment that's been created that players want to hang around,' he said. 'They want to enjoy the environment. They want to squeeze everything out of their career. 'And it's not necessarily the game that catches up with you mentally. It's your body physically failing you, which I think is a great spot to be.' Scott stands by past comments that Dangerfield, an explosive midfielder with relentless attack on the ball, was a 'unicorn' of a player. 'He was the best player of that type in the competition,' he said. 'I've always had a bias, personally, towards the powerful inside midfielders. There have been some pretty good ones over the years, (Nat) Fyfe and (Dustin) Martin at that time. Patrick was singular in the way he played. '... Habitually, he does some things that no other player can do.' Now in his 18th season, Dangerfield has been transformed from a midfielder to a more permanent forward, which he considers a 'game changer'. It appears a move that could extend his career, though he refuses to look any further forward than his contract for next year. 'I'm happy to say I'm loving the game as much as I've ever loved it, to be honest,' he said. 'And perhaps that's because you do get closer to the end than the start. 'And you realise how fortunate you are to play the game, to be involved in it, to try and feel young with the young players that come in and the stories they have and the way they go about things. 'That keeps things fun. It keeps you willing to be around.'
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Caceres weighs up ALM future as World Cup looms
Knowing a World Cup spot is up for grabs, Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres is still weighing up his playing future at Sydney FC. Caceres, 32, went from believing his national team dream was dead to being a genuine option for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic within six months. The classy midfielder helped Australia seal direct qualification to the 2026 tournament in their crunch clashes against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Viewing the upcoming club season as "the most important year of my career", Caceres said he hasn't made a call on whether he'll stay at the Sky Blues. Caceres has played at the ALM heavyweights since 2019, having arrived on loan from Manchester City. He has been linked with a move to Macarthur FC, after Sydney failed to make finals last season under coach Ufuk Talay. Highly rated Sky Blues forward Adrian Segecic has already sealed his move after earning a three-year contract at English Championship side Portsmouth. "I'm still weighing it up, that's the thing," Caceres said on Thursday at the Commbank sponsorship announcement. "I've had a few sniffs in Asia and actually some countries in Europe. "Ultimately, the league needs to be competitive enough to keep me in the frame for national team football. "It's tempting to stay in Australia because our league gets recognised by the national team coach. "I understand the league well, and I think it's a great option." Should he make the cross-town switch to the Bulls, he'll be reunited with former Sky Blues teammate Luke Brattan. It was Bulls captain Brattan's long-awaited Socceroos debut, at 34, last year that reignited Caceres's national team hopes. "When I saw my good mate Luke Brattan get a call, that told me that age isn't the deciding factor," Caceres said. "Not that I'm old, but there's certain perceptions that come with it. "Before then, it's safe to say that I had almost given up on it. "At my age, at 32, you never stop learning and improving. That fuels my energy to kick on in my career." While his eyes are set firmly on retaining his spot for the 2026 finals, Caceres admits he's still pinching himself after their deciding 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. "I know other boys have been there and done it before, so maybe they feel a bit differently," Caceres said. "For me, disbelief is the word. It takes a while to actually understand what is happening. "You've gone from not being involved in the national team and watching them over decades, to one day being there in a crucial moment like that." Knowing a World Cup spot is up for grabs, Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres is still weighing up his playing future at Sydney FC. Caceres, 32, went from believing his national team dream was dead to being a genuine option for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic within six months. The classy midfielder helped Australia seal direct qualification to the 2026 tournament in their crunch clashes against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Viewing the upcoming club season as "the most important year of my career", Caceres said he hasn't made a call on whether he'll stay at the Sky Blues. Caceres has played at the ALM heavyweights since 2019, having arrived on loan from Manchester City. He has been linked with a move to Macarthur FC, after Sydney failed to make finals last season under coach Ufuk Talay. Highly rated Sky Blues forward Adrian Segecic has already sealed his move after earning a three-year contract at English Championship side Portsmouth. "I'm still weighing it up, that's the thing," Caceres said on Thursday at the Commbank sponsorship announcement. "I've had a few sniffs in Asia and actually some countries in Europe. "Ultimately, the league needs to be competitive enough to keep me in the frame for national team football. "It's tempting to stay in Australia because our league gets recognised by the national team coach. "I understand the league well, and I think it's a great option." Should he make the cross-town switch to the Bulls, he'll be reunited with former Sky Blues teammate Luke Brattan. It was Bulls captain Brattan's long-awaited Socceroos debut, at 34, last year that reignited Caceres's national team hopes. "When I saw my good mate Luke Brattan get a call, that told me that age isn't the deciding factor," Caceres said. "Not that I'm old, but there's certain perceptions that come with it. "Before then, it's safe to say that I had almost given up on it. "At my age, at 32, you never stop learning and improving. That fuels my energy to kick on in my career." While his eyes are set firmly on retaining his spot for the 2026 finals, Caceres admits he's still pinching himself after their deciding 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. "I know other boys have been there and done it before, so maybe they feel a bit differently," Caceres said. "For me, disbelief is the word. It takes a while to actually understand what is happening. "You've gone from not being involved in the national team and watching them over decades, to one day being there in a crucial moment like that." Knowing a World Cup spot is up for grabs, Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres is still weighing up his playing future at Sydney FC. Caceres, 32, went from believing his national team dream was dead to being a genuine option for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic within six months. The classy midfielder helped Australia seal direct qualification to the 2026 tournament in their crunch clashes against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Viewing the upcoming club season as "the most important year of my career", Caceres said he hasn't made a call on whether he'll stay at the Sky Blues. Caceres has played at the ALM heavyweights since 2019, having arrived on loan from Manchester City. He has been linked with a move to Macarthur FC, after Sydney failed to make finals last season under coach Ufuk Talay. Highly rated Sky Blues forward Adrian Segecic has already sealed his move after earning a three-year contract at English Championship side Portsmouth. "I'm still weighing it up, that's the thing," Caceres said on Thursday at the Commbank sponsorship announcement. "I've had a few sniffs in Asia and actually some countries in Europe. "Ultimately, the league needs to be competitive enough to keep me in the frame for national team football. "It's tempting to stay in Australia because our league gets recognised by the national team coach. "I understand the league well, and I think it's a great option." Should he make the cross-town switch to the Bulls, he'll be reunited with former Sky Blues teammate Luke Brattan. It was Bulls captain Brattan's long-awaited Socceroos debut, at 34, last year that reignited Caceres's national team hopes. "When I saw my good mate Luke Brattan get a call, that told me that age isn't the deciding factor," Caceres said. "Not that I'm old, but there's certain perceptions that come with it. "Before then, it's safe to say that I had almost given up on it. "At my age, at 32, you never stop learning and improving. That fuels my energy to kick on in my career." While his eyes are set firmly on retaining his spot for the 2026 finals, Caceres admits he's still pinching himself after their deciding 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. "I know other boys have been there and done it before, so maybe they feel a bit differently," Caceres said. "For me, disbelief is the word. It takes a while to actually understand what is happening. "You've gone from not being involved in the national team and watching them over decades, to one day being there in a crucial moment like that."
