Ricky Ponting wants Glenn Maxwell to be Australia’s ODI lynchpin

Glenn Maxwell’s half-century was one of the bright spots in an otherwise below-par performance from the Australian cricket team in its opening ODI against Eoin Morgan’s England at The Oval earlier this week.

Maxwell, who was coming off a poor run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he scored only 169 runs at 14.69 for Delhi Daredevils (DD), top-scored with 62 in the visitors’ three-wicket loss to England.

Impressed with his knock, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting wants the ‘Big Show’ to become the team’s batting mainstay in limited-overs.

Ponting, who is currently assisting Justin Langer on the England tour, believes Maxwell has nothing to prove to anyone and should focus on performing consistently.

“He doesn’t have to prove it to anybody. He’s just got to work out the best way for him to play,” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“He is at his best when the team is in trouble. When he goes out at 3-250, that is when he makes silly mistakes. When we were in some trouble (at The Oval), he played a good knock.

“Well done to Glenn, but I am sure he will be analysing his own innings and thinking he could have done a bit better,” he added.

Ponting, who had earlier coached the 29-year-old during his stint with DD in the IPL too, said things could have turned out differently in the Oval ODI had Maxwell had stayed on for a few more overs.

“To be bowled out with three overs to go, if he was there at the end, he could have had a hundred and it’s 270 and a different game,” the former Australia skipper said.

Maxwell will now look to live up to Ponting’s expectations when Australia face England in the second match of the five-ODI series at Cardiff on Saturday.