NEW DELHI: Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has opened up about his recent struggles with form, hopeful for a turnaround following a challenging season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and a slow start at the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Maxwell managed just 52 runs in ten IPL matches and has only racked up only 39 runs in four World Cup games thus far, finding it hard to maintain rhythm and momentum.
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Maxwell shared his thoughts on ESPN's Around The Wicket, shedding light on the difficulties of batting in the middle order. He noted the contrasting ease with which openers perform compared to the middle-order challenges.
"Still feeling really good. I've been hitting the ball pretty well, but... it's just been really hard to, I suppose, get that rhythm and momentum. You've seen our openers go out there and pump it all over the place, and then in the middle order, it's been quite difficult to adjust," Maxwell was quoted as saying by ANI.
Despite his struggles, Maxwell praised teammate Marcus Stoinis for his consistent and outstanding performance, which has been pivotal for Australia in the group stage.
"The only one throughout the tournament who has consistently smashing them is Stoin - he's been outstanding. To have those guys below me gives me a lot of confidence, knowing I have a bit of time to get myself into the tournament, and we've got some real quality below us. It's a nice position to be in that I don't feel like I've fully hit my straps, played pretty well against England... but I know it's not far away," Maxwell added.
In addition to Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh has faced his own set of challenges, particularly a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL 2024. Nevertheless, Marsh remains a cornerstone for the Australian team across all formats, contributing significantly whenever he's active on the field.
"Mitch has been unbelievable over the last couple of years since he's come back into all three formats, especially the Test stuff. I think that's probably filtered into the confidence in the other two formats. Watching him go about his work, you always know he's only one or two shots away from basically ruining a game (for the opposition), and we are looking forward to seeing that," Maxwell said.
As Australia prepares to face Bangladesh in their first Super 8 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda, the team remains unbeaten in the tournament.
