After patient wait, Maxwell seizes chance to open

Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell revealed he had been eyeing up the opening position for some time after he hit a 65-ball 145 not out from the top of the order to lead Australia to a record T20 score in their 80-run win over Sri Lanka.

Maxwell had only opened twice before for Australia – once each in Tests and ODIs – and his elevation in this match in place of Aaron Finch was something of a surprise, given Usman Khawaja’s presence in the side. Captain David Warner suggested Maxwell had been asked to open because Australia wished to preserve the left-hand right-hand combination, but Maxwell said he had initially floated the idea himself.

“I actually had a chat to [coach] Greg Blewett a couple of days ago after Finch hurt his finger,” Maxwell said. “I said: ‘Geez, I’d love to have a crack at the top of the order.’ Sure enough, a couple of days, Warner gave me a tap on the shoulder and told me I was going to be up the top with him. So I was excited about it and looking forward to the opportunity.”

Maxwell said he had been envious of limited-overs openers, even having recently made lighthearted fun of Finch’s 18-ball fifty in the fourth ODI on social media. “Can’t be that hard to do it when you’ve got two [fielders] outside the circle,” he had tweeted at the time. Maxwell’s 145 is the second-highest T20I score, behind Finch’s 156 against England at the Ageas Bowl in 2013.

“I really enjoy batting at the top of the order in T20 cricket,” Maxwell said. “I find it’s easier to get into the innings. When you’re in the middle order you have to be proactive the whole time. It seems like if you get out …

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