The Trailblazer, The Turbocharger: Glenn Maxwell

Cricket is evolving fast and this is the era where pinch hitters dominate in every sphere of the world. With rise in franchise leagues and increase in viewership of T20 cricket, it’s the turbocharged players who are being appreciated. 

Today, in this article by ZAP cricket, we talk about one of the greatest pinch hitters of this generation- Glenn Maxwell aka Maxi. He is a right handed batsman and a right arm off spin bowler. He is highly regarded as ‘The Big Show’ for his talent to score big on the biggest occasions.

Glenn Maxwell’s early life and domestic cricket 

Born on 14 October, 1988, Maxwell played junior cricket for South Belgrave Cricket Club. Initially he played as a fast bowler, but later switched to off spin bowling. 

He played domestic cricket for Victoria and joined the team in 2019-10. He played domestic cricket in England as well. He represented several County Clubs like Hampshire, Surrey, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire.  

Glenn Maxwell’s International career 

Maxwell made his ODI debut on 25 August, 2012 vs Afghanistan, T20I debut on 5 September, 2012 vs Pakistan and Test debut on 2 March, 2013 vs India. 

He is a natural power hitter and his ability to win matches through his strokes makes him a rare talent. He is a sort of player who hasn’t been very consistent with his performance, but, on his days, he makes the opponent clueless with his versatility. He is a true all rounder and one of finest players of this generation. Apart from his batting, it’s his middle over bowling and quick fielding that makes him a highly ranked player.

Maxwell’s innings in the 2023 World Cup against Afghanistan is considered his best knock so far. His team had lost early wickets and Australians were drowning, but then he came to the rescue. Australia was 91/7 when Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell stitched a clinical partnership. Maxwell was the chief executor as he scored a magnificent knock of 201* with cramps repetitively disturbing his rhythm. Without that knock, his side would have faced an early exit and they would’ve never clinched the 2023 title.

Cricket is a game that shows more lows than highs and Maxwell was no different, he had a similar fate. He faced his own set of challenges as he was battling with depression and that hampered his performance on several occasions. In 2019, he took a break from competitive cricket and in 2020, he announced an indefinite break in the middle of a T20 series against Sri Lanka. Although after consultation, he recovered and is now back on the field. Presently, he plays only white ball cricket for his country. He played his last Test on 4 September, 2017 vs Bangladesh. 

Glenn Maxwell’s International stats 

Format	Test	ODI	T20I
Matches	7	145	116
Runs scored	339	3,950	2,664
Batting average	26.07	34.50	29.93
100s/50s	1/0	4/23	5/11
Best score	104	201*	145*
Wickets	8	75	43
Bowling average	42.62	46.66	30.72
Best bowling figures	4/127	4/40	3/10

List of centuries 

Score	Oppositions	Venue	Format
201(128)	Afghanistan	Wankhede Stadium	ODI
106(44)	Netherlands	Arun Jaitley Stadium	ODI
108(90)	England	Old Trafford Cricket Ground	ODI
102(53)	Sri Lanka	Sydney Cricket Ground	ODI
145*(65)	Sri Lanka	Pallekele International Stadium	T20I
103(89)*	England	Bellerive Oval	T20I
113(74)*	India	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium	T20I
104(48)*	India	Barsapara Cricket Stadium	T20I
120(55)*	West Indies	Adelaide Cricket Ground	T20I
104(185)	India	JSCA International Cricket Stadium	Test

Glenn Maxwell’s records and achievements 

• In October 2023 he has set the record for fastest century in Cricket World Cup, scoring his century in 40 balls against Netherlands 
• Highest number of centuries in T20 cricket along with Rohit Sharma
• Won 2015 Cricket World Cup, 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup
• Second highest career strike rate in ODIs- 126.27
• Scored more than 1,000 runs, taken more than 50 wickets and grabbed more than 50 catches in One Day cricket
• Scored a century in all the three formats

Glenn Maxwell in franchise cricket 

One of the few players who have truly enjoyed the perks of IPL is Maxwell. He has used his maximum potential to fully utilise the benefits of franchise cricket in India. His journey in IPL started in 2012 when he was picked by Delhi. Since then, he has been a regular participant with some or the other franchise. In the upcoming 2025 edition, he is picked by Punjab Kings for INR 4.2 Crore. 

Here are his team wise stats in IPL: 

Stats in IPL 

Team	Year	Matches	Runs	Wickets
Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals)	2012, 2018	14	175	6
Mumbai Indians	2013	3	36	0
Punjab Kings	2014-17, 2020	65	1,294	13
Royal Challengers Bangalore	2021-24	52	1,266	18

In the Big Bash League, he played for Melbourne Renegades in 2011/12, but now plays for Melbourne Stars. In The Hundred, he was picked by London Spirits.  

Overall, his entertaining style and match winning performances have earned him a large fan following and recognition as one of the most dynamic players in franchise cricket.