"Can’t believe it, my strike rate’s cooked" - Glenn Maxwell opens up on Pat Cummins' hilarious comments after Afghanistan win
Australian star Glenn Maxwell recently opened up on skipper Pat Cummins' hilarious fake tantrum in the dressing room after their miraculous three-wicket win against Afghanistan.
Chasing 292 for victory, the Aussies slumped to 91/7 in the 19th over when Cummins joined Maxwell at the crease. Carnage of the highest order followed as Maxwell became the first cricketer to score a double century in an ODI run chase.
Cummins played a sensible knock by holding one end up, with 12* off 68 deliveries at a strike rate of 17.64. The duo shared an unbeaten 202 off 170 balls for the eighth wicket to steer Australia to a memorable win.
Speaking to Fox Cricket, Maxwell recalled Pat Cummins' cheeky remark about his strike rate going down thanks to his blockathon.
"There’s plenty of banter being thrown around in the changeroom. Pat sort of walked in and thrown his helmet on the ground and gone, ‘Can’t believe it. My strike rate’s cooked. Unbelievable. Jesus. I shouldn’t have knocked back all those singles," Maxwell said.
The 35-year-old also spoke about a similar dressing room vibe to Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup triumph.
"Obviously we’re all getting taken the mickey out of. I’m getting taken the mickey out of for not being able to run properly, like a salmon on the ground shaking. It was just such a great feeling in the changeroom. It reminded me of the T20 World Cup in 2021, the same sort of feeling — energetic, electric, exciting and everyone felt like they were heading towards the same end goal. Who knows, it could be the same here," Maxwell added.
Glenn Maxwell has been in remarkable form in the World Cup, scoring 397 runs at an average of 79.40 and an intimidating 152.69 strike rate.
Before the heroics in the Afghanistan game, the all-rounder also scored the fastest World Cup century off 40 balls against the Netherlands.
"We’re in a positive frame of mind to take them down" - Glenn Maxwell on the semi-final against South Africa
Glenn Maxwell further spoke about the belief in the dressing room ahead of the marquee semi-final clash against South Africa at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Following two losses to open their World Cup campaign, the Men in Yellow have won seven straight games to finish third on the points table. Meanwhile, the Proteas have been impressive throughout the tournament, winning a similar seven out of nine matches.
"It’s pretty exciting for our group to have that belief. We’ve got four different century makers in our line-up (Maxwell, David Warner, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh). Guys who you feel are primed, ready to go, on the cusp of doing something special. I just can’t see a better lead in for us. Hopefully we’re in a positive frame of mind to take them down," Glenn Maxwell added.
While South Africa have never crossed the semi-final stage in ODI World Cups, Australia are the most successful side with five titles.
However, the Proteas have dominated the Aussies recently, winning the previous four ODI clashes. They also annihilated the Men in Yellow by a massive 134 runs in the league-stage battle between the sides at Lucknow.