Ricky Ponting opens up on Maxwell’s ODI axing

Glenn Maxwell is renowned for his unflinching and blistering brand of cricket. His approach towards the game has fetched him success and stardom in the cricketing fraternity. However, his style of play has attributed to inconsistent performances, which hasn’t helped his cause of staying put in his position in the Australian national team.

Recently, Australia’s One- Day International (ODI) squad for their upcoming series against England has been announced and Maxwell hasn’t found a place. The swashbuckling batsman had a pretty mediocre series against India in September, which raised questions on his credibility as a batsman. Steve Smith mentioned that the Victorian needs to train harder to claim a place in the team. Recently, it was former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting who voiced his opinion on the matter.

Ricky Ponting voices his take on Maxwell

Ricky Ponting, the former Australian skipper, opened up on Maxwell’s exclusion from the squad. He opined that the suggestions need to have been conveyed directly to the player. “I hoped all those things were said to his face, not said in the media. That’s not having a go at Steve Smith at all, or the selectors, but it is a bit of direction about how he’ll get himself back in the team,” Ponting was quoted saying to the media in an interview with Channel 10.

The former Aussie captain also emphasised the importance of man-management as an integral part of leadership. He went on to say that it’d be fair only if Glenn Maxwell was made aware of his position from beforehand. “I don’t mind if it was said to him first – if he’s picked up the paper and seen it talked about in a press conference, that’s one of the great challenges with captaincy and player management, man management if you like.” Punter commented.

Maxwell has been in decent form lately with a couple of breezy knocks under his belt. He also notched a classy double century for Victoria against the New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield. Maxwell’s prowess with the willow has been an asset for teams across the globe, especially in the T20 format. However, for the time being, the Victorian has to work out of his skin to return to the Aussie squad.

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