Opinion Glen Maxwell’s heist: Breathing fresh hope into the ODI format

Glen Maxwell’s 201 not-out from 128 balls will surely find a prominent place in the folklore of cricketing heists and miracles. Arguably one of the greatest innings played in a 50-over game, perhaps even across formats, it was a victory of courage over adversity. Maxwell was so severely cramped that he could not take a step and was grimacing in pain. Yet, he found a way to script something defining, an inning that’s likely to be remembered as long as the game lasts. It was a night when Maxwell, a wondrously talented but inconsistent batsman fully realised his potential.

Maxwell tore apart the batting manual — anyhow, even when fully fit, he pays scant reverence to it. He pierced unseemly gaps, barely moved his feet — it was all wrists, hands, and brain — but produced remarkable power in clearing the cow corner and dexterity in hitting behind the stumps. He had slices of fortune. But his knock has a larger significance — it breathes fresh hope into a format in an existential crisis. T20, for all its rapid thrills, or Test cricket, for all its undulating drama, could not have been the stage for such a knock. Maxwell’s innings might leave coaches perplexed over the age-old tenets of batting. They shouldn’t bother: What he did is unrepeatable.

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The knock could lift Australia’s morale as well. The five-time world champions, though third on the table, have looked far from invulnerable. Their ride to the semi-finals was bumpy at times. This innings of sustained magic could make Maxwell’s teammates aware of their full potential.