Australia and the West Indies will play their first World Cup practice match “behind closed doors” on an out ground in Hampshire on Wednesday. The sides were officially scheduled to play two warm-up games before the start of the tournament but an extra hit-out was agreed between the camps when Stuart Law was West Indies’ coach.
Before training on Tuesday, Glenn Maxwell compared the size of the Nursery Ground to Hurstville in Sydney, the venue of many a thumping score in Australia’s domestic one-day competition, and as a result this warm-up will likely provide a serious test of both sides’ containment bowling.
As a part-time offspinner, Maxwell knows he will have his work cut out for him should he bowl to the likes of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. But, while it is his batting that is most often discussed, he is clear on his objectives with the ball in hand.
“Try not to get hit for six most of the time,” laughed Maxwell. “For me I suppose, a lot of the time that I bowl, I just try to limit the boundary balls. As long as I’m doing that, if they hit some good shots off my bowling I’m not too fazed. If I’m limiting the boundary balls and giving myself the best chance to squeeze a few dot balls, bowl a couple of tight overs, it might create a bit of pressure at the other end.”
Maxwell spent time at Lancashire after Australia’s tours of India and Pakistan, choosing to prepare for the summer in England and giving himself the best chance of making the Ashes squad rather than playing in the IPL. His stint in county cricket included seven List A games and while he performed modestly with the bat – his top score was 35 – he took wickets in all but one match and eight in all.
“I think it’s important for me to just bowl in a partnership with someone. That’s probably the clarity I have in my role and it’s something I did a bit in Dubai [against Pakistan] and India and started to get a few more overs, a bit more consistency… To have that continue into my time at Lancashire where I got plenty of time at the bowling crease, you get that rhythm, you get that feel of the ball coming out consistently. You need that as a part-time bowler, to have that consistency of time at the crease and get a few of the cobwebs out I suppose.”
His bowling may be a handy option but it is Maxwell’s destructive batting that has the real potential to dismantle attacks and the Nursery Ground may be just the first on this tour that struggles to contain his powerful hitting. But in this, too, Maxwell has found clarity on how he fits into the Australian side.
“I suppose my role in the team is to adapt to whatever start we have, whether it be we get off to a flyer or we’ve lost a few early wickets. It’s just to adapt to whatever I get thrown into,” he said. “I just want to have an impact on games in a really positive way and be able to control the back end.
“I have expectations on myself to finish off games and be the guy who’s standing there at the end of the game and making sure that we win the game.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo