‘Not a lock’: Pressure mounts on Glenn Maxwell ahead of T20 World Cup campaign

Pressure is mounting on one Aussie star to unearth some runs ahead of the T20 World Cup, with his form becoming a “real worry”.

Glenn Maxwell of Australia. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Pressure is mounting on Glenn Maxwell to unearth some runs ahead of the T20 World Cup, with the Australian cricketer registering another single-digit score against England on Wednesday evening.

The 33-year-old was dismissed for 8 (11) in the second T20 in Canberra, top-edging a pull shot against left-arm seamer Sam Curran towards deep square leg in the eighth over of Australia’s unsuccessful run chase.

Maxwell, occupying the crucial No. 4 position, seemingly couldn’t adjust to the sticky Manuka Oval wicket, struggling to find the middle of the bat while teammate Mitchell Marsh slapped multiple boundaries at the other end.

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It was an uncharacteristic knock from a cricketer who has developed a reputation as one of the most destructive batters in the sport.

Marsh (45 off 29 balls) and Tim David (40 off 23) got Australia within touching distance of the 179-run target, but the hosts fell eight runs short as England claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match bilateral series.

It continues a horror run of form for the under-fire Victorian; his most recent scores in T20 internationals are 1, 0, 6, 0, 1 and 8, with each of those innings coming at less than a run per ball.

Maxwell has fallen victim to a couple of run outs during that period, but his recent numbers in the game’s shortest format would raise alarm bells for the national selectors.

The powerful right-hander has averaged 15.81 since the start of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, failing to reach fifty in 20 knocks.

He also has the lowest T20I strike rate of any Australian top-order batter over the past 12 months.

Australian batter Glenn Maxwell. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP

T20I batting strike rate for Australians over the last 12 months

174.35 – Cameron Green

165.95 – Tim David

160.98 – Marcus Stoinis

153.30 – Matthew Wade

151.55 – David Warner

146.59 – Mitchell Marsh

141.02 — Josh Inglis

121.34 – Aaron Finch

112.77 — Steve Smith

110.96 – Glenn Maxwell

* Minimum five innings at 1-7 in batting order

“It’s a real worry for Maxwell’s form leading into this World Cup,” former Australian batter Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket.

“Maybe he’s not a lock in the team. (You) would have thought he would be, given the way he fields and his bowling.

“But he’s there to bat at No. 4 primarily. (It’ll be) interesting to see what happens going forward there.”

What a horror phase for Maxwell with the bat suddenly #ENGvAUS

— Mehran मेहरान 🇮🇳 (@mehranzaidi) October 12, 2022

Maxwell will have two more opportunities to rediscover his mojo before Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign gets underway next week, with warm-up fixtures against England in Canberra and India at the Gabba.

But with the talented Steve Smith waiting in the wings, Maxwell is slowly running out of chances to silence his critics.

However, it’s unlikely that George Bailey will swing the axe considering Maxwell’s off-spin is essential to the team balance, particularly with Marsh currently unable to bowl due to a lingering ankle injury.

The third and final T20 between Australia and England gets underway at Manuka Oval on Friday evening at 7.10pm AEDT.