“Genius” Glenn Maxwell hit a stunning 90 to rescue Melbourne Stars from disaster in their derby with the Renegades on Sunday night.
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And in a hilarious moment in the 17th inning that teammate Hilton Cartwright said he had “never seen before”, Maxwell proved just how much of a genius he is.
The Stars, who entered Sunday’s game in last place with 3 wins and 5 losses, appeared to be in serious trouble at 7 wins and 75 losses until ‘The Big Show’ lived up to expectations.
Maxwell single-handedly turned the game around, smashing four fours and 10 sixes and was eventually dismissed with 90 off 52 balls.
In an interesting scene, Maxwell and Usama Mir scored 81 points while Mir recorded 0 points on that tally.
In fact, there were several instances where Maxwell turned down a single to preserve the strike, which put the Stars in the best position to keep the runs rolling.
In a particularly amusing moment, Mir took off running after Maxwell hit one ball towards the ropes and Jacob Bethell’s diving attempt prevented it from reaching the boundary.
Mir was already up to the striker’s end when Maxwell hurriedly sent him back.
“On weird nights, don’t play at Marvel at all,” Mark Howard said on commentary.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Cartwright said late in the game.
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“I want to know what the record is because I have to do a record partnership without any contribution,” he laughed.
“We thought turning 50 would be amazing. And he sat there. It’s like four-day cricket when you’re bowling at number 11. You face 5 balls and block the last one.
“I’ve never seen anything like that. I mean, I’ve seen a couple of singles get rejected from the 17th onward, but what was the 11th? I’ve never seen anything like it.
“It shows how well Maxi can read the game.”
This was the opinion of Adam Gilchrist, who said that Maxwell’s ‘way of thinking’ and ‘computer brain’ for short-form cricket was ‘one of the best, if not the best, in the world’.
“As Mark Howard said, the team’s whole innings was the same with Glenn Maxwell – so much skill, accuracy, so much experience to know how to land strikes and take chances to score runs,” Gilchrist said.
“Maxwell’s experience meant Mir didn’t have to make too many decisions other than how many balls to let go and when to run when called. He did his job.
“But I think Glenn Maxwell’s computer brain mentality for short forms of cricket should be one of the best, if not the best in the world, in terms of adapting to situations and understanding what is needed.
“He told us before the game. All he thinks about is what is best for the team in any situation and that was on full display tonight. “It’s really amazing.”
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Cartwright said he hopes Maxwell can help the Stars get to around 120 to 130 points.
“It’s something to see,” he added.
“It was an incredible blow. He’s got every shot in the book, and he’s arguably put on the most pressure we’ve ever seen, and he performed that way. “It shows what a good person he is.”
It’s not the first time Maxwell has put the Stars in a winning position this week, inspiring Melbourne to a 16-point comeback win over the Sixers on Friday.
Maxwell hit an unbeaten 58 from 32 balls in that match, as the Stars reeled off three successive wins to still be in a position to reach the final despite a slow start.
Michael Vaughan called Maxwell a “genius” on Sunday night.
“At 70-7, they were out of contention and all of a sudden he started to get into his own flow,” Vaughan said.
“You can see Will Sutherland trying to do his best, you can see the bowlers trying to find where to bowl. But sometimes you meet someone better and much better.
“I mean, these shots he makes look so easy and yet are so hard to play. He is amazing as he gets a 6 over cover point with a slice of the bat and then goes down to ground. “He is a special player.”
