Oh, come on! Maxwell has been the most overrated batsman in the history of IPL. Everyone and every franchise that he has ever played seems to be impressed by his occasional brutal innings and is willing to go to any extent to purchase him. The fact of the matter is that Maxwell, atleast in the IPL, never roared like a tiger. Rather, he was a pussy cat everytime he walked to the crease. Now, Maxwell wants a break from the IPL so that he can be ready for Australia in the T20 World Cup. Social media is ripe with memes as to how Maxwell is when he is playing for Australia and how he is when playing in the IPL. It is time every IPL franchise thinks before the plump in an enormous amount for some cricketer who is unlikely to live upto his billing.
Maxwell was dropped from RCB in the high scoring game against SRH. Later, it emerged that he asked for a break from IPL itself. He hasn’t ruled himself out of the tournament itself and is willing to contribute at a later stage. For now atleast, he has ruled himself out of the league. With the way RCB is progressing, there is no scope for them to qualify for the playoffs. Maxwell’s absence is unlikely to affect them in any way because of the zero impact he has had in the league.
Maxwell’s comments
“I went to the coaches, (captain) Faf (du Plessis) last game and said, ‘It’s probably time we tried someone else’.
“I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat … and with our results and the position we find ourselves in on the table, it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to try and show their wares and hopefully someone can make that spot their own.”
Maxwell also said that it is not unusual to go through poor runs in T20 cricket and was confident of his efforts before the IPL and would return home in time for Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign.
It is safe to assume that Maxwell recognised the writing on the wall. There was a clamour to replace him for the game against SRH after the series of poor scores. Maxwell must have felt that it will be better to excuse himself rather than be pushed out. It is the classic 9-5 job goers ruse. One would rather want to be laid off rather than fired which always gives a bad impression upon him with the prospective employer.
The point I fail to understand is that Maxwell plays only two formats. T20 & ODI. He is not part of the design with the Australian Test side. That train has already sailed long time ago. He is relatively free most of the year. As such, he must be well rested and primed for action. Everyone goes through loss of form. However, in T20 cricket, it is easier to get back into form quickly. It is not as challenging as Test cricket. In India, where the ball hardly bounces or moves, it is impossible for a player’s poor form to continue in this form of the game.
Wrapping up Maxwell wants a break
The fact of the matter is that Maxwell should not have been bought by RCB for the exorbitant fees that he was paid. He knew pretty well his performances during the last several seasons. He hasn’t scored a single hundred and has an average of just above 20. Maxwell cannot claim that he does not get too many overs to bat. For RCB atleast, he batted in a lot of games at number 4. A crucial spot from where a batsman will get atleast 10 overs. Long enough in T20 to construct a proper innings. It is time for RCB and for every IPL franchise to thank him and bid him goodbye from the IPL.