Warming Heady’s seat – Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

Cliff Notes – Warming Heady’s seat – Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

• Glenn Maxwell anticipates his stint as an opener in the T20I series against West Indies will be temporary, with Travis Head expected to return for the home series against South Africa in August.
• Maxwell’s recent performances at the top of the order have been promising, but he acknowledges that the team’s preferred line-up will likely see Head and Mitchell Marsh as the opening pair moving forward.

Warming Heady’s seat – Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

Glenn Maxwell expects his move to open the batting in the T20I series against West Indies will be brief once Travis Head makes a likely return for the home series against South Africa in August as Australia look to settle their line-up as they build towards the 2026 World Cup.

Maxwell batted at No. 5 in the first game of the series, one slot lower than his customary No. 4 position where he has batted 61 times in his career, to allow Cameron Green an opportunity at second drop.

He was then shifted to open for just the fourth time in his career when Tim David returned from injury for game two in the absence of the resting Head and injured back-up opener Matthew Short.

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Maxwell, who has scored 145 not out and 66 in previous T20Is opening the batting, was promoted to the top in the main because Australia anticipated a lot of spin to be bowled in the powerplay. While that was the case in Jamaica, both sides have veered away from spin bowlers at the tiny Warner Park in St Kitts.

Maxwell returned scores of 12 off 10, 20 off 7 and 47 off 18 and looked ominous in all three innings. But he insists he is unlikely to stay there beyond this series with Head likely to partner skipper Mitchell Marsh moving forward while Josh Inglis looks settled at No. 3.

“It’s been great fun being at the top, but I’m sure I’m just warming Heady’s seat until he comes back,” Maxwell said. “I think the way we’re probably going to set up our T20 side heading forward is you’ve got Travis up the top, you’ve got Mitch Marsh who is captaining us brilliantly at the moment.

“Ingo is doing a great job at No.3 and the rest of the order falls into place around that. We’ve got some unbelievable power hitting at the moment, we’ve seen some guys really put their hand up – Tim David, Mitch Owen and Cameron Green – throughout the middle.

“They’re three pretty big blokes with big reach and they hit the ball an absolute mile so it’s great to have those guys with that extra bit of power in the middle-order.

“It’s not something we’ve had an abundance of over the years and to have that at our disposal at the moment is pretty exciting.”

Cameron Green thumps one down the ground Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

Green’s growth at No. 4 and David’s century in his first opportunity batting inside the powerplay at No. 5 for Australia outside of rain-shortened matches, gives the selectors a multitude of options heading towards the World Cup in terms of how they shape the middle-order.

Maxwell’s record at No. 4 is exceptional, having scored four T20I centuries in that position, but his best performances in franchise cricket over the last eight months have come at No. 6. He was BBL player of the tournament and won Melbourne Stars four games in a row with scores of 20* off 10, 58* off 32, and 90 off 52 at No. 6 plus 76* off 32 at No. 5. After a difficult IPL for Punjab Kings, he made an unbeaten 106 off 49 balls in MLC at No. 6 for Washington Freedom last month.

Green’s consistency and his ability to handle pace in the powerplay, as well as spin post powerplay, could see Maxwell deployed later in the order in Australia’s first choice XI.

“It’s been great to see the growth of some of the guys and Greeny in this series has been absolutely outstanding,” Maxwell said. “We’re seeing him turn into a really consistent and solid T20 player and it’s just so exciting for Australian cricket to see these guys with this sort of power and it’s going to be dangerous for a lot of teams heading forward.”

A middle-order of Green, David, Maxwell and Owen in some kind of combination is as powerful as Australia have ever produced while Marcus Stoinis still remains in consideration despite not playing in the West Indies series or the upcoming South Africa series.

Maxwell remains a key contributor with the ball and in the field. He took two key wickets in the second T20I in Kingston and remains a vital match-up for left-handers in particular while his ability to bowl in the powerplay in India and Sri Lanka will also be crucial for Australia’s plans.

Meanwhile at nearing 37, three years on from a broken leg that effectively ended his ODI career, he still remains Australia’s best outfielder with three stunning pieces of work in the fourth T20I on Saturday having a significant outcome on the match.

“I practice a hell of a lot,” Maxwell said. “It’s something I pride myself on, making sure that I can create opportunities on the boundary line, and feel like I’m spreading the boundary a little bit longer and making the batters hit it a little bit further.”