Only performance will change opinion: Maxi

Glenn Maxwell has cited one of Test cricket's keenest captaincy minds as an integral element in bringing maturity and responsibility to his now flourishing international career.

Maxwell, who was last night named Australia's One-Day International Player of the Year in a 12-month period that included a memorable World Cup triumph, named former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as a key figure in his ongoing transformation.

Since stepping down as the Black Caps' most-capped skipper in 2006 and retiring as a player two years later, Fleming coached the Chennai Super Kings to the Indian Premier League titles in 2010 and 2011 and the Champions League crown in 2010.

He was then appointed coach of the Melbourne Stars in the KFC Big Bash League this summer, where he and Maxwell forged a close bond.

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As he reflected on the influences that have helped him change his international performances from mercurial to reliable in the past year, Maxwell named Fleming as an influential figure in enabling him to better understand the game as well as himself.

"I've had a lot of chats with him about leadership and perception and that sort of thing and he's been the guy I've been talking to a lot about changing the way I've been seen in the public view," Maxwell said shortly after receiving his ODI award last night.

"He's been really positive in the chats, probably because he's been really honest.

"It's nice to hear an outsider's voice at the start, and then get to know him and in addition what he thinks of where I'm going and how I've been seen as well."

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Maxwell makes no secret of the fact he has struggled to cope with negative public perception of his character and his capabilities that have arisen since being tagged with the unwanted epithet 'The Big Show'.

The resultant view that the 27-year-old is imbued with a heightened sense of self-worth and a disdain for team disciplines are being increasingly exposed as far from the truth, although Maxwell has found them as difficult to deal with as he has to dispel.

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But counsel from the man who former Test leg-spinner Shane Warne rates as the most astute Test captain he played with or against has helped Maxwell find clarity as well as a context, which in turn has translated into a more settled, more productive player with bat and ball.

And even though he has sought wisdom from numerous sources at the highest level as well as from those who have not played or coached international cricket, Maxwell concedes the advice he has been given has taken a long time to percolate into deeds.

"I think it's been a slow, gradual increase of knowledge about different views of the game that I've really tried to pick up on," Maxwell said.

"It might have taken a long time to sink in … but it's finally sort of stuck in my mind that I know how to get the job done.

"I know how to go about my innings, and I know how to go about the way I want to approach the game when I play a one-day innings.

"I think the biggest thing is clicking that mental side of the game, and I think it's been the biggest problem early on in my career that I've had to try and overcome."

Even though he has sought input from Fleming, Stars teammate and former England international Kevin Pietersen and numerous other sources of wisdom, Maxwell understands that it is only through his on-field efforts that public perception can indelibly shift.

In the 40 one-day internationals he played prior to Australia Day last year, Maxwell had scored 948 runs at an average of 28.73 with a highest score of 93.

In the 19 matches he's played over the past 12 months – the period for which he was named ODI Player of the Year - he's compiled 756 runs at almost double that average (54.00) with a maiden century against Sri Lanka in the World Cup and two other scores in the 90s.

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And it is those match-defining knocks rather than any number of media appearances or contrite explanations that will invariably shift the tide of public opinion to celebrate Maxwell's value rather than denigrate his points of difference.

"It's more the match-winning innings that will change people's perceptions, the times when I finish games for Australia is going to be the main thing that sticks in people's minds," Maxwell said.

"I don't think awards or acknowledgement through the media is going to be the difference, it's going to be personal actions from me out on the field.

"It's almost showing those leadership qualities that I felt should have been shown in those earlier years but have probably only shown in the past 12 months."

And now that he has made the progression from T20 Player of the Year to the reigning ODI champion, Maxwell holds even stronger conviction that a regular Test berth can be his if he continues to harness his undeniable talent.

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He has identified the upcoming Test tour to Sri Lanka next July as the most likely avenue for his return to the Baggy Green, given pitch conditions there are likely to favour his canny off-spin and the batting talent he has honed on the subcontinent during the Indian Premier League.

Which might, in turn, lead him to his ultimate career ambition – a Test appearance in front of home crowds in Australia.

"I'm hoping this year with a Test tour to Sri Lanka, that I can get rewarded for that," Maxwell said of his Test ambitions.

"Even if it has to come through a subcontinent tour it doesn't bother me at all.

"I'll keep pushing to perform as well as I can on those tours and if I can somehow scrape together an Australian tour (during the home season) that would be great.

"A home Test in front of my family, it would be really special and hopefully I'll grab that opportunity if I can."