Freakish dismissals aside, Maxi backs under-fire teammate to pile on the runs in one-day series
Watson looking as good as ever: Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell has backed fellow allrounder Shane Watson to come good in the five-match one-day series against England after his tour hit a new low with a "freakish dismissal" in the one-off Twenty20 match.
Watson had looked in good touch, striking two crisp boundaries before ill fortune intervened.
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A defensive stroke against Steven Finn's seaming delivery rebounded off the ground and bounced back towards his wicket. Watson, immediately recognising the danger, lashed out with his right boot in an attempt to kick the ball away, but missed.
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Watson can't believe his luck in Cardiff // Getty
As the ball dislodged the bail and England's coach staff laughed on their Cardiff balcony, Watson look heavenwards. A short, violent tensing of the arm betrayed the frustration he must have felt.
Maxwell had credited Watson's influence for his star turn at this year's World Cup, culminating in a maiden ODI century against Sri Lanka at the SCG. And he was quick to his defence again today, suggesting he had been unfairly made a scapegoat in Australia's Ashes surrender.
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Maxwell and Watson embrace at SCG during World Cup // Getty
Watson fell lbw in both innings of the first Ashes Test in the Welsh capital, for scores of 30 and 19, as Australia lost by 169 runs and the allrounder was dropped for the remainder of the Test series.
"I don't think it (lbw dismissals) is a big thing weighing on his mind. He's worked really hard at it," Maxwell told Triple M.
"It just happens that he comes back to England against a fired-up English side and the ball doing extremes both in the air and off the wicket.
"You could probably take it a little bit easier on him because those were ridiculous conditions the whole way through (the Ashes). No Test went to the fifth day, which shows you just how tough the conditions were.
"He didn't have a great time but I'm sure it's going to turn around for him in this one-day series.
"He's looking as good as ever.
"Even yesterday when he started he looked in good nick and in good positive form. It was a freakish dismissal so hopefully his bad luck's behind him and he can start scoring runs for Australia again."