Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has put his weight behind under-fire David Warner to turn it around in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Warner isn’t in the best of forms in the recent past and he will be under pressure to deliver the goods for the national team. The pugnacious southpaw could only score 195 runs in eight matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021 at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 107.73.
In fact, Warner was also controversially left out of the SRH’s playing XI and he was also sacked as the captain. However, Australian captain Aaron Finch had also backed David Warner to make a roaring comeback in the T20 World Cup.
Warner is one of the best T20 batters in the world and his record speaks for himself. The left-hander has scored 2265 runs in 81 T20I matches at an average of 31.46 and a strike rate of 139.73. Thus, Warner will be looking to once again prove his mettle in the T20I showpiece and deliver the goods for Australia.
“If you ever doubt Davey, it’s an absolute no-no. You know he’s going to turn it around. He’s a superstar of all three formats. He’s made so many runs. He’s going to go down as one of the greats of the game. Unfortunately, he got Martin Guptill’d (caught Guptill bowled Southee) on Monday with an absolute hanger. Gup seems to do that a lot against us,” Maxwell told ESPNcricinfo.
“Those sorts of things happen when you’re searching for it. But you know when he gets out there come game time, come the 23rd (of October against South Africa), regardless of what happens in the next practice game, you know he’s going to hit the ground running. He’s going to be a big player for us.”
Maxwell, who had a stellar run in the IPL 2021 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, also backed Mitchell Marsh to have a huge tournament for Australia. Marsh has been in great form in the recent past for Australia and he could play a key role.
“I think Mitchell Marsh is going to have a massive tournament. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone hit the ball better, ever. We all gather around his net and just watch him hit the ball. It’s been pretty extraordinary to watch him go about his business at the moment. I’d be really surprised if he didn’t have a really good tournament.
“He’s got his bowling as well. His presence around the group, regardless of what he’s doing, is second to none. He’s the guy everyone wants in their team, he’s flying at the moment, so I’m expecting him to have a good tournament,” added Maxwell.
Australia will begin its T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa on 23rd October.
