Maxi responds to Finch comments

A candid Glenn Maxwell has backed Australia ODI skipper Aaron Finch’s assertion that his output with the bat does not justify a position up the order.

Maxwell returned scores of 11, 15 and 35 in the three-match Gillette ODI series against South Africa, batting at No.6 in the first two games before being demoted to No.7 for the decider.

Finch then declared Maxwell’s future in the team was as a spin-bowling allrounder, with the enigmatic Victorian sending down eight wicketless overs for the series, including seven in game three in Hobart.

The 30-year-old’s bowling and reputation as a gun fielder appear pivotal to his hopes of 2019 World Cup selection.

And Maxwell has not shied away from his recent returns at the crease in the 50-over format, with just one ODI half-century – against England in June – in the past 22 months.

Since his one and only ODI century came against Sri Lanka at the 2015 World Cup, Maxwell has passed fifty five times from 35 innings for his country.

Speaking on Melbourne’s SEN radio on Wednesday, Maxwell agreed his sub-par returns with the bat justified the move down the order.

"I need to be bowling, I need to contribute to the team somehow," Maxwell said.

"You're not always going to be gift-wrapped positions in the top order with the numbers I have.

"I just have to make sure whatever format I am playing, whether it be this T20 series or Shield cricket when I go back (I am) making big scores and making the most of any opportunity I do get.

"I know they're not just going to hand it to me and hope, it has to be earned.

"I'm just hoping once this T20 series is done (against South Africa and India), I can go back and score heavily in the Shield and show my batting is actually improving and all the work I have put in over the last few months is showing through."

Maxwell scored 196 runs in seven innings at 28, with one half-century, for Victoria in this year’s JLT One-Day Cup.

With Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft suspended, Maxwell was a surprise omission from Australia’s recent Test tour of the UAE given his record in Asia that includes a maiden Test century against India in Ranchi last year.

Finch, a former housemate of Maxwell’s, put the heat on his close friend after Sunday’s ODI loss and pointed to the contributions of the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey in the middle order.

"If you look at Glenn's stats recently, he probably hasn't made as many runs as he would have liked as a pure batsman," Finch said.

"Therefore for him to be in the side and as an allrounder, he's probably batting in that No.7 spot.

"Guys are playing reasonably well around him. 'Maxi' would have liked some more runs, and obviously wants to bat higher.

"But the reality is he's in the side as a bit of an allrounder but he hasn't scored as many runs that he needed to over the last little while in one-day cricket to probably justify taking up a top-four spot.

"That's just reality at the end of the day."

Maxwell also reflected on his performances in Australia’s 0-5 series loss to England in the UK earlier this year and said he did not make the most of his opportunities.

He made contributions of 62, 31 and 19 batting at No.6 in the first three games before being sidelined for the remainder of the series due to a shoulder injury.

"I was disappointed that I missed some opportunities in the practice games over in England," Maxwell said.

"Early on, the preparation when we went over there was me for to bat at four in that one-day side. All the training around that was what we were working on.

"The two practice games, I batted at four. I didn’t make the most of those opportunities and then the first game you're straight back down to six or seven and you're always chasing your tail from there.

"I felt like I batted well in that first game but unfortunately after that I wasn't able to capitalise."

Maxwell averages 32.02 from 87 ODIs since making his debut in 2012.

Gillette T20s v South Africa and India

Gillette T20s v South Africa 

November 17: Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast

Gillette T20s v India

November 21: The Gabba

November 23: MCG

November 25: SCG

Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

South Africa T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

India T20 squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.