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Finch bats for Maxwell after Smith's stinging critique

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

"If the opportunity comes he'll take it with both hands and perform well again." said Finch of Maxwell. © Getty

Glenn Maxwell, the axed Australian all-rounder, has received support from Victorian teammate Aaron Finch over his maligned training habits.

The 29-year-old was dropped from Australia's upcoming five-match One-Day International (ODI) series against England despite a strong start to the domestic season, including solid form in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Melbourne Stars.

Steve Smith, the Australian captain, said Maxwell was dropped because his training standards were not of international standards. With Smith's stinging critique putting pressure on Maxwell, Finch leapt to the defence of his state teammate.

"In the lead-up to the (Sheffield) Shield season, his training was fantastic and I think his results have reflected that over the last couple of months - just pure output of runs in that format," Finch said in Melbourne on Wednesday (January 10).

Finch believed Maxwell, who has played 7 Tests and 80 ODIs, was in the form of his career. "The way that he's batting is as good as I've seen him in terms of his tempo," he said. "He's playing some really good cricket at the moment. He's probably changed a little bit from being all guns blazing from the first ball to giving himself a little bit of time.

"I suppose the Melbourne Stars have been losing a few early wickets, and that's allowed him to bat for a bit longer before he has to take a risk," he added. "If the opportunity comes he'll take it with both hands and perform well again."

Unlike Maxwell, Finch is part of Australia's 50-over line-up meaning his BBL campaign with the Melbourne Renegades is likely over. The ODI series finishes on January 28 followed by the Twenty20 tri-series, also featuring New Zealand, starting on February 3. The BBL final will be held on February 4.

One of several BBL stars to be drafted into Australia's squad, Finch admitted the clash of scheduling was "unfortunate". "It's been a talking point for a few years now," he said. "I am sure that everyone in the country would love to see Starc and Cummins and Smith and Warner being available for the Big Bash full-time and guys that go out for the one-day series as well. I think it would be great to see everyone available to play but scheduling is a pretty hard thing to do.

"You do have to fit cricket in somewhere - it is unfortunate it does have to happen like that," he added. "You can make the same arguments for Shield cricket and one-day cricket, making players available the whole time but it's not possible."

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