He might have mustered just 142 runs in eight World Cup 2019 matches so far, but Glenn Maxwell insists that he’s in the midst of one of his best batting phases.

“I feel like I haven’t hit the ball better in my career, I just haven’t got runs,” Maxwell told reporters, ahead of Australia’s final league fixture against South Africa.

“It’s nice to be relaxed when I go out in the middle. Runs just haven’t come the way I would have liked, but I don’t think they’re far away. If I was out of form and out of runs, I think I’d be a little more nervous.”

After a couple of days off to freshen up, we’re back on deck at Old Trafford #CmonAussie #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/T4YbtCg8ug

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) July 3, 2019

The right-hander currently boasts the best strike-rate by a batsman across all teams in the ongoing tournament – 190.67 – a measure of his increased ability to bat with a clear head down the order.

“It’s about not over-complicating it and not reinventing the wheel at training. I’ve stuck to the way I’ve gone about my training … and making sure you’re not clouding your head even further,” Maxwell said as he reflected on his approach.

A year and a half ago, Maxwell was the subject of critical assessment by then-captain Steve Smith, who had urged the batsman to bring consistency in his game, remarking that Maxwell needs to “train smarter” and “keep his head switched on”. The statement came right after Maxwell was dropped for the England ODIs that followed the 2017-18 Ashes.

Since then, the 30-year-old has meticulously prepared for the 50-over format, and has forced his way back to reprise his middle-order spot, and additionally, has assumed the role of an off-spinner in the middle-overs.

“It is a bit of maturity and growth and trust in my preparation. I think I would have been searching for something a couple of years ago, whereas now when I go out to bat I have been doing the right things and training the right way”

With the opening pair of David Warner and Aaron Finch consistently firing at the top, Maxwell’s role in the tournament has been to cap off innings towards the end. A belief in his own preparation, and ample support from the management, has helped him focus on his job better.

“To trust going in without a lot of runs behind you does take a few years to learn from that and grow from that. You might not get the time out in the middle, like the top order does.

“But when you go get out there you’ve got to make the most of it. To have the faith the selectors have had in me to be here and be the sole spinning allrounder in the squad is nice.”