Kiwi fan pays big for Maxwell's broken seat

A New Zealand fan has paid NZ$2000 for the Wellington Stadium seat broken by a Glenn Maxwell six, after the item was auctioned for charity.

Maxwell hit five sixes in an innings that yielded 70 from 31 balls in Australia's win in the third T20 against the Black Caps last week, including a strike that punched a hole in one of the seats at the stadium, which was empty due to New Zealand's COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

Stadium chief executive Shane Harmon had the damaged seat removed and, after asking Maxwell to sign the broken plastic, pledged to auction if off online with proceeds going to the Wellington Homeless Women's Trust.

That auction ended last night with the winning bidder listed only as 'Fiona from Rotorua'. The price for the signed, broken yellow plastic reached NZ$2000 after 99 bids were placed.

The seat was broken when Maxwell smashed a Jimmy Neesham delivery 10 rows back off the second ball of the 16th over, which went for a total of 28 runs.

The auction funds raised are in addition to a donation to the charity Maxwell had also pledged to make.

"I'll make a donation, and an apology for breaking a seat," Maxwell told the New Zealand Herald after the game.

"I hadn't hit too many in the middle, so I was happy to get it over the fence."

The innings was Maxwell's major contribution of the tour as he scored 23 runs in his other four innings on the tour as Australia lost the series 2-3.

Maxwell is uncertain to feature in the back-end of the Australian domestic summer before he leaves for the IPL, with complications over getting him into Queensland for Monday's Marsh Sheffield Shield and subsequent Marsh One-Day Cup game against the Bulls.

Queensland's borders remain currently shut to New Zealand, from where Australia's 18-man T20 squad only returned last Sunday.

Muddying the waters further is the fact Maxwell will be heading to the Indian Premier League that overlaps with the end of the Australian domestic season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, Maxwell's new team that bought him for A$2.52 million last month, kick off the IPL on April 9. After Victoria's next Shield game at Allan Border Field from Monday, their final two matches begin March 25 in Perth and April 3 back in Melbourne, while the final is set for April 15.