Glenn Maxwell hit an unbeaten 103 from 58 balls to lead Australia to victory over England in Match 2 of the trans-Tasman T20 tri-series in Hobart.
It was an impressive statement to the Australian selectors after he was overlooked for the Test and ODI sides earlier in the summer. Though he was eventually called into the 50-over team once the series was lost, the ‘Big Show’ made the point quite clearly that he can do things few other Australian batsmen can do on the biggest stage.
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Dawid Malan was the pick of England’s batsmen[/caption]
He rode his luck at times during Australia’s chase of a below-par 156. He was dropped at deep square-leg by Alex Hales when on 40, and was given a reprieve in the 50s when a low catch by Jason Roy at long-off was adjudged to have grazed the turf on video review. But Maxwell was generally dominant, striking 10 fours and four sixes – including a maximum when on 97 with one run to win, taking him to a century off what turned out to be the last ball of the game.
“Get over!!! You little beauty!”
What a way to bring up your hundred and win a game of cricket for your country ??
Kudos, Glenn Maxwell ? pic.twitter.com/SSqnMwZ1ZN
— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) February 7, 2018
D’Arcy Short was Australia’s next highest scorer after David Willey took two wickets – those of David Warner and Chris Lynn – in the first over of the reply. But England’s total never truly looked like being enough once Maxwell got going.
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Their innings had started brightly enough, with Dawid Malan looking in superb touch for his 50 from 36 balls before top-edging a sweep off Glenn Maxwell – who became the first man to take three wickets and score a century in the same T20I – to the deep-square boundary. But although they had looked poised to get close to 200 at one stage, a key period that saw them lose four wickets for five runs in 14 balls took the sting out of the innings, and only Chris Jordan’s steady late 16* shepherded them over the 150 mark.
The teams meet again in the third match of the tri-series, in Melbourne on Saturday.
