Swashbuckling Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell has stated that the team selected for the upcoming T20 World Cup will get help after playing the second phase of the IPL in the UAE. His comments came as both the tournaments will take place in the same places within a gap of a couple of days.
While speaking to icc.cricket.com, Glenn Maxwell said that playing in the cash-rich league in the UAE would help them to prepare prior to the World Cup. Maxwell, however, will play for Virat Kohli-led RCB in the upcoming IPL as well.
He said: “The fact we’ve got a lot of guys going over for the IPL as a preparation, get a few games in those conditions, it’s going to do wonders for our batters. Our bowlers are going to be up and firing by the time the tournament starts. I can assure you everyone is looking forward to hitting the ground running over there.”
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Apart from Glenn Maxwell, other key players of Australia who are selected in the T20 World Cup squad – David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad), Steve Smith (Delhi Capitals), Josh Hazlewood (Chennai Super Kings), Marcus Stoinis (Delhi Capitals).
“The tournament being in UAE probably levels the playing field a little bit. Probably makes it a little bit easier for there not to be as much of a home ground advantage. For the IPL to be there to have a lot of international players that are potentially going to be in that World Cup over there playing, I think it has probably levelled the playing field a fair bit,” he again shared.
However, Australia hasn’t had success in T20I cricket in the past one year. They will come into the mega event on the back of five consecutive bilateral T20I series defeats as well. But, they can turn the table anytime and are also considered as one of the best.
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“You look through our line-up, we’ve got a team full of match winners and guys that on their day can take the game away from the opposition. I think that’s what it’s going to take. Any day when it’s one of our players’ chance to go and win us a game – if we can take that (chance), it’s going to be hard for anyone to stop us. The key for us to win a T20 World Cup this year is to get off to a fast start. Teams that can get off to a good start early in the tournament, get a couple of players on fire, get a couple of batters in good form, and get a couple of bowlers taking early wickets, that is the key to a lot of teams winning these tournaments,” Glenn Maxwell concluded.
