'He makes others better': Why Aussies value Maxi so much

On the surface, there was little to make of Glenn Maxwell's dismissal attempting to launch Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the empty Gabba stands during a low-key practice match against India earlier this week.

It was not an official match so the fact his 23 off 16 balls marked his first double-digit score in eight hits was hardly a talking point.

Yet it is precisely the manner of that dismissal, on the eve of a World Cup with the reigning champions' most discussed player in the midst of a presumed form slump, why Australia's faith in Maxwell remains as high as ever.

The Aussies had been chasing 187. A more self-possessed player, given the at times casual nature of the match and his own circumstances mentioned above, might have been inclined to cruise; pad his stats and only later consider the business of how his side might win.

But underneath the 'Big Show' tag is a settled and seasoned cricketer whose value, coach Andrew McDonald suggested two days out from their T20 World Cup opener against New Zealand at the SCG on Saturday, goes beyond his run tally.

The Aussies had needed 10 runs per over when Maxwell came in. When he exited they needed around 8.5 per over. Had it not been for two breathtaking Virat Kohli fielding efforts in final two overs, they could well have clinched victory.

"T20 is a high-risk game for batters," McDonald explained. "You've got to take risks early in your innings and sometimes that risk brings about your downfall.

"It's really the way he plays, the style he brings that makes others better around that."

No one will remember that warm-up clash in Brisbane when the history of Australia's 2022 World Cup gets written, whether they defend their title or not.

But it is a useful example of how, as McDonald put it, Maxwell "makes others better".

"We don't want him to change too much," the coach, a former teammates of Maxwell's with state side Victoria, went on. "His preparation is really good and we feel like the runs will come.

"In T20s, batters' form ebbs and flows.

"He allows others to do their job well, albeit he probably hasn't performed the way he would like at the moment, but you sense it's just around the corner."

The knock-on effect of Maxwell's presence on the team sheet goes beyond his role with the bat too.

His recent struggles with the bat have made the headlines – scores of 1, 0, 6, 0, 1, 8 and 8 in his seven most recent T20 Internationals do not make for pretty reading – though digging a little deeper suggests Maxwell's best is not far behind him.

In the Indian Premier League earlier this year, his strike rate was a blistering 170 from 13 innings while that figure was at 150 during the Hundred – two of the world's leading short-form competitions.

But his batting is only one part of the story.

There is of course his athleticism which has made him one of the world's best outfielders, yet it goes beyond that too.

Australia committed to a four-bowler, seven-batter team make-up following their touch-up against England during the last World Cup in the UAE, but they might not have been able to do so had it not been for Maxwell.

The emergence of Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis as game-changing batters and bankable bowlers was one thing, but another was dispensing with Ashton Agar from their first-choice side after the left-armer had formed a potent spin partnership with Adam Zampa in T20s.

It was Agar who has been the casualty of the extra batting Australia now favour and it is Maxwell who has made it possible to go without a bowler whose economy rate is a remarkable 5.34 in T20Is played in Australia.

What off-sets it, at least partially, is Maxwell's off-spin, which has proven increasingly potent.

In T20s (and Hundred games) this calendar year, Maxwell's economy rate is 6.91 while that figure stands at 7.08 in home T20Is.

"Since we've shifted to playing seven batters and four frontline bowlers – we like to consider 'Maxi' a frontline bowler but he probably doesn't get put in that discussion," said McDonald.

"The flexibility he gives us as a second spinner … is fantastic."

Speaking on SEN Radio earlier in the day, McDonald added: "I think Glenn Maxwell is the key to our bowling if we were to get thrown in conditions where the second spinner becomes critically important.

"That's the luxury of having Glenn Maxwell in the team – he's that three-dimensional player.

"He allowed us in the UAE to be able to play the way that we wanted.

"He didn't have the World Cup that he probably wanted, but just by being in the team, just by the way we were able to structure up, allowed us that freedom.

"Now if you don't have Glenn Maxwell there, clearly then you've got a debate about shrinking down your batting and playing two spinners, which most of the other teams tended to do."

Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Australia squad: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Aaron Finch (c), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia's T20 World Cup 2022 fixtures

Oct 22: v New Zealand, SCG, 6pm AEDT

Oct 25: v 1A, Optus Stadium, 10pm AEDT

Oct 28: v England, MCG, 7pm AEDT

Oct 31: v 2B, Gabba, 7pm AEDT

Nov 4: v Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Click here for a full 2022 T20 World Cup fixture