World champs aim for ‘perfect’ Australia Day

Maxwell says fifth ODI at the Adelaide Oval is far from a dead rubber, with plenty on the line for the home side’s players

Australia’s world champion one-day outfit is aiming to crown the country’s national day with a clinically “perfect” performance in the final of the VB ODI Series against Pakistan.

With the trophy already secured and the prospect of myriad overseas assignments beckoning for Australia’s Test and limited-overseas personnel, it would be reasonable to assume that little rides on tomorrow’s Australia Day ODI at the Adelaide Oval.

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But that’s not the view within the Australia dressing room, with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell citing future selection prospects, the need to maintain winning momentum and the importance of the national celebration as motivation for the home side.

Australia secured the five-match series with last Sunday’s 86-run victory at the SCG, which carried Steve Smith’s team to an unassailable 3-1 lead.

But Maxwell, the only member of the Australia squad to take part in his team’s optional training session in Adelaide this morning, dismissed any suggestion that there was a feeling of ‘mission accomplished’ within the camp.

Or that the upcoming Qantas Tour of New Zealand (a three-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy Series starting next week), Test training camp in Dubai or the four-Test Qantas Tour of India beginning next month had assumed priority in the eyes of any players.

“For a lot of people it might seem like a dead rubber, but there’s still a lot to play for, especially individually,” Maxwell said today.

“There’s still a lot of Champions Trophy (ICC tournament in the UK next June) places up for grabs which is in the distance, and there’s still a New Zealand series around the corner as well.

“I think it’s a really important game to not only make sure you’re winning as a team, you’re keeping that winning momentum because it’s sometimes an easy thing to lose.

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“If you take the foot off the gas at any stage it can be a long bumpy road back, so we’ll be keeping the foot on the gas and all guns blazing forward.”

Maxwell, who made his return to the ODI starting XI after missing out for all three matches against NZ last month, claimed the reigning World Cup holders had been incrementally improving their performances as the current summer has progressed.

And even though they have lost just one match – the six-wicket loss to Pakistan at the MCG 10 days ago – since their disastrous 0-5 whitewash at the hands of South Africa late last year, the all-rounder believes the Australians have yet to hit their straps.

With the Australia Day holiday, which sees the once traditional Adelaide Oval ODI reinstated for the first time in three years, the ideal platform on which to unveil a complete performance.

“A lot of the Australia Days I remember growing up were pretty similar to Boxing Day (Test match in Melbourne) – it’s very iconic, you love sitting sown on Australia Day with a barbie and watching Australia play one-day cricket,” Maxwell said.

“And generally an entertaining game of one-day cricket.

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“So that’s something that we’ll be hoping to provide, and having built up the whole series – getting better and better as the series has gone on – I think we’ll be looking forward to putting on a fully clinical performance throughout the whole game.

“We’ve shown glimpses with the bat, glimpses with the ball and glimpses in the field.

“But to put that perfect game together, which is what we’re always striving for in the one-day set is what we’ll be aiming for tomorrow.”

Having been dumped from the ODI set-up after last year’s tri-series win over the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean, and overlooked for the one-dayers in Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia (against NZ) that succeeded it, Maxwell has been buoyed by his recent returns.

Scores of 60, 23 and 78 batting in the lower middle-order built upon a keener understanding of his own game and the match situations confronting him.

“To come back and get two fifties out of three innings and feel like I’ve hit the ball nicely and do it in my way was really pleasing,” he said today.

“I think that comes from being a little bit calmer at the crease and probably having more trust in my game.

“I probably put a lot of pressure on myself in years gone by to score at a fast rate and – I wouldn’t say (not) fully concentrating on the job at hand, I’d say more worried about scoring fast and worrying about if I was hitting consistent boundaries.

“But taking a backwards step and being able to assess the conditions and knowing you have so much more time than you (thought) and just trying to back the fact that I can clear the ropes at the end (of the innings).”
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The 28-year-old also played down suggestions he no longer qualifies as an all-rounder, given he has been tossed the ball just once (for two overs) in his past seven ODI appearances.

And in that time, part-time spinner Travis Head has been used with much great regularity by skipper Smith.

“It’s just about me working hard and continuing to be an option if he (Smith) needs me,” Maxwell said when asked where his bowling was at.

“It’s not something I’ve really worried about too much.

“I think in the first (VB Series) match Heady bowled 10 overs for 28, and I didn’t do that too many times in my career.

“He’s been a great off-spin option for us and I’ve just got to be that other option if need be.”