This was published 7 months ago
‘Time to reflect’: Maxwell backed to return to his blazing best
By Jon Pierik
Former Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch says Glenn Maxwell had time to reflect on his night out in Adelaide when he ended up in hospital, and insists the star all-rounder is ready to be at his box-office best in this month’s Twenty20 series against the West Indies.
Maxwell, who has been rested from the three-match one-day international series against the West Indies, was at a golf event in Melbourne on Monday, but refused interview requests.
Glenn Maxwell will return to the Australian side for this week’s T20 series.Credit: AP
“All good,” Maxwell said at the Callaway launch at the Sandy Golf Links when approached by this masthead.
Maxwell, a hero of Australia’s World Cup win in India, was in the headlines for the wrong reasons when he passed out at a gig by the band Six and Out in Adelaide last month, having been drinking after playing a round of golf in searing heat.
He was taken to the emergency room of a hospital via ambulance and was later released without being admitted.
His manager Ben Tippett said at the time Maxwell was a “little bit embarrassed” by the incident, while his great mate – and former housemate – Finch said on Monday that Maxwell has had time to reflect.
“He seems in really good spirits. It wasn’t ideal timing for him. He’s got a tight group around him that help him out a lot. I think it would have been a good time for him to reflect on it, too,” Finch said.
Maxwell has worked assiduously on his game in recent years, and is one of the premier white-ball players in the world. However, some off-field incidents have cost the 35-year-old games, including when he broke his leg last summer. He still has rods in his leg from that injury, and he also fell off a golf cart and was concussed during last year’s World Cup.
Australia’s ODI series against the West Indies concludes in Canberra on Tuesday, before the three-match Twenty20 series starts in Hobart on Friday.
“What we have seen over the last probably three years is the best of Glenn Maxwell on the field because he has got his body right. Obviously, the broken leg, that was not ideal,” Finch said.
“But, over the next couple of years, we will still see the best of him. So, that will be part of it, making sure that his body stays healthy and he does everything right to make sure he stays [on the field].”
Maxwell has been mentoring emerging batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk, who opened the batting on debut against the West Indies at the SCG on Sunday.
The dashing right-hander attempted to blast the first ball of the match for six, crunched the third to the boundary and cleared the rope by a long way on the fourth ball. However, he was dismissed fifth ball, indicating he will play at the top level in the manner which has seen him dominate domestic attacks this summer.
Finch said Fraser-McGurk could be a good fit as a permanent long-term opener, for he had the ability to torpedo an attack.
“You have to play to your strengths. Judging by the last couple of ODIs, they [Australia] have made a real conscious effort to go really hard in that power play,” he said.
“I don’t see why he is not the right one [to open]. He has all the talent. We have seen this year that he has started to play some innings that were going bigger in the Big Bash, and in domestic cricket he has taken it on from ball one again.”
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