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The Lions' Den : Kings XI Punjab : IPL 2014 Official thread

Lord

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I6MTW

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Maxwell carves his parallel universe Glenn Maxwell shaped to sweep but held his stroke and let the ball go past him instead, turning his back to it in exaggerated manner. It was the third time in two overs that R Ashwin had bowled a wide down the leg side to Maxwell, and each time it had seemed as though the batsman had provoked him into bowling that line. Other batsmen try and upset a bowler's rhythm by moving conspicuously around the crease; Maxwell had done this with little feints of his hip and shoulder, like a winger toying with a fullback, suggesting he might play a certain stroke without really committing to it. Ashwin had taken two wickets already. His side was defending a total of 205. But Maxwell had reverse-swept him twice already with clinical placement, and that had clearly rattled him. "Why are you scared, Ashwin?" yelled a voice from the grass banks. "He's not Afridi!" The heckler was right. Maxwell isn't really Afridi, even if his strike rate and his ability to clear the ropes puts him in that category of batsman. But he had brought back a vague memory of an entirely different Pakistan batsman in the brief time he had spent at the crease till that point. He had made you think of Javed Miandad. There's no comparing their careers, of course, or their batting styles, but a common thread runs through their wholly different personalities at the crease. Miandad was cocky in a chatty sort of way; Maxwell seems to project a sort of icy disdain. Both approaches, though, are directed towards the same end, that of getting under the bowlers' skins. This aspect of Maxwell's game surely played some role in two of his most notable international innings so far. Last year, in Bangalore, he had walked in at 74 for 4, with Australia going at under four-and-a-half runs an over while chasing 384 in the deciding match of the ODI series against India. Maxwell, impervious to the prevailing circumstances, came in and smashed 60 off 22 balls. During the World T20 last month, Australia lost two wickets in their first over against Pakistan while chasing 192. Maxwell walked in and tonked 74 off 33 balls. In the time he was at the crease, Aaron Finch scored a wholly prosaic 37 off 32 at the other end. Finch carried on to make 65, but none of the other Australians got into double figures as Pakistan wrapped up a 16-run win. Maxwell, that day, seemed to bat in a bubble that excluded everyone else, including his partner at the other end. It didn't even have room for the match situation. The bubble broke when he was dismissed, and normal service resumed. Friday was similar. Punjab were chasing 206, and were 31 for 1 when Maxwell walked in. He saw two more wickets fall before David Miller joined him, at 52 for 3. Maxwell's response to all of this wasn't so much "no problem, I'll handle it" as "I don't really care". You have to be extremely talented to play that way, of course, and there were a couple of occasions when he caressed the ball through the off side with so much grace that you had to rub your eyes and wonder what was going on. There was a bit of Ricky Ponting in the dip of his head at the highest point of Maxwell's backlift, and in the smooth downswing of his bat. Yes, him too. In the end, Maxwell's 43-ball 95, which set Punjab up to win with a level of comfort that didn't seem possible when he had begun his innings, left you pondering a parallel universe. Here was a man who batted like a weird mix of Miandad and Ponting who, in between the flowing drives, the clever laps and reverse-sweeps, slogged rather crudely at a number of deliveries, timing some, missing some, never seeming to care either way. It made you wonder what sort of a batsman he would be if Twenty20 didn't exist.
This article massively overrates him. He is nothing but a slogger. He plays like afridi. Sometimes he clicks, sometimes he doesn't.
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Switchblade Newbie

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It's more relaxed with Punjab: Maxwell http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/62790/its-more-relaxed-with-punjab-maxwell

"It always feels nice when you know that you are going to be a regular in the playing eleven, something which was not possible at a star-studded Mumbai outfit. Here I feel more relaxed and don't feel the same pressure of expectations. The start has been good and hopefully we will only get better from here," Maxwell told PTI from Dubai a day after hammering 95 off 43 balls to ensure Punjab made short work of Chennai' 205 in their T20 League opener in Abu Dhabi.
"That way, it is a lot different at Kings XI. The Mumbai had all bases covered and the plan was to win every match and eventually the tournament. Here, the goals are different. We don't have big international names so the focus is on just doing the best we can in a game and improve from there on," said the 25-year-old Victorian.
"I actually practice not just one specific stroke during training. And even something like a switch hit and a reverse sweep is not something I always try in the nets. I make sure I play all types of bowling including the throwdowns and try to hit the ball clean," he said explaining his practice routine in a nonchalant tone.
When asked about pacing his innings and managing a high strike-rate at the same time he replied, "I take things ball by ball mate, trying to find the gaps and manipulate the field."
Last year, Maxwell became a rare millionaire who drove a 15-year-old sedan and this season he has gone a step further.
"I have got rid of that car mate. I have come to a conclusion that I don't need one anymore. Roaming around in cabs is much easier and I have got people who deal with stuff like this and other money matters. It helps me maintain my focus on the field," he quipped.
"I think I have been asked about Warner some 200 times. He has obviously been a revelation for Australia. Not many people thought he could graduate from T20s and look what he has done. I too love playing in the longest format. Hopefully I will get my chances," summed up the player who has represented Australia in two Tests, 24 ODIs and 21 T20 Internationals.
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Bleed-Blue Newbie

Bleed-Blue

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Have nothing to prove to anybody' - Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is hopeful that a good run in the IPL could help him get picked for India's tour to England, but the batsman also stressed he had nothing to prove after more than 15 years in international cricket. Sehwag, who last played an international game for India in March 2013, said his focus in the IPL was on getting his new franchise Kings XI Punjab through to the tournament playoffs, and possibly deliver a title win. "There's no question of whether Virender Sehwag is keen or not because I have played more than 15 years, played more than 100 Test matches, 250 ODIs and a number of T20 games, so I have nothing to prove to anybody," he told ESPNcricinfo during a Hangout session. "I only have to prove to myself. This IPL, I have to play for Kings Xi Punjab, I have to try and help them qualify for the playoffs or maybe win the championship. So I am not proving [anything] to anybody else. My job is to go out there, give my 100% and try to give a good start to Kings XI. That's more important at the moment. I'll think later on about how my IPL went and how I should do this or do that. At the moment, I am concentrating on my batting and concentrating on giving a good start to the team." Sehwag's last Test appearance for India was in March 2013 against Australia in Hyderabad, where he was out for 6. He played his last ODI in India colours in January 2013. The patchy form continued into the recent domestic season, where he managed 234 runs in 13 innings with only one half-century in first-class games. In the zonal stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-dayer competition), Sehwag failed once again, scoring just 25 runs in two games. He found some form with a hundred for MCC against Durham and followed that up with useful knocks as an opener, steering Delhi to an unbeaten streak in the zonal T20 matches. When asked if he thought the tournament was a good platform to make a case for selection, he said a good run could help his chances of a comeback on India's tour to England in June.

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velu Mentor

velu

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Have nothing to prove to anybody' - Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is hopeful that a good run in the IPL could help him get picked for India's tour to England, but the batsman also stressed he had nothing to prove after more than 15 years in international cricket. Sehwag, who last played an international game for India in March 2013, said his focus in the IPL was on getting his new franchise Kings XI Punjab through to the tournament playoffs, and possibly deliver a title win. "There's no question of whether Virender Sehwag is keen or not because I have played more than 15 years, played more than 100 Test matches, 250 ODIs and a number of T20 games, so I have nothing to prove to anybody," he told ESPNcricinfo during a Hangout session. "I only have to prove to myself. This IPL, I have to play for Kings Xi Punjab, I have to try and help them qualify for the playoffs or maybe win the championship. So I am not proving [anything] to anybody else. My job is to go out there, give my 100% and try to give a good start to Kings XI. That's more important at the moment. I'll think later on about how my IPL went and how I should do this or do that. At the moment, I am concentrating on my batting and concentrating on giving a good start to the team." Sehwag's last Test appearance for India was in March 2013 against Australia in Hyderabad, where he was out for 6. He played his last ODI in India colours in January 2013. The patchy form continued into the recent domestic season, where he managed 234 runs in 13 innings with only one half-century in first-class games. In the zonal stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-dayer competition), Sehwag failed once again, scoring just 25 runs in two games. He found some form with a hundred for MCC against Durham and followed that up with useful knocks as an opener, steering Delhi to an unbeaten streak in the zonal T20 matches. When asked if he thought the tournament was a good platform to make a case for selection, he said a good run could help his chances of a comeback on India's tour to England in June.

like a boss :bandit:
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