Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell stated that he values team wins over individual feats despite falling two short of a century during the fourth ODI against Pakistan.
Maxwell's knock of 98 off 82 helped Australia secure a six-run win and take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series against Pakistan. The 134-run partnership stitched by Maxwell and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey took Australia from 140/7 to post 277/4 on Friday.
"I am not going to look back on my career when I am done and think about all the hundreds I have missed. I am going to think about the wins we had," ICC quoted Maxwell, as saying.
"It would have been nice to get a hundred, but I was really happy with the way I played today. To put that partnership on with (Alex) Carey, to get us to a total we thought we could defend - I was really proud of the way I went about it. The hundred does not really matter too much to me," he added.
Maxwell, who has been sent to bat between number three and seven over the year, is still figuring out the importance of each role.
However, he believes, "I have made a lot of mistakes as a middle-order batter and not quite made it to the time when I can go (attack). It was nice to be there for the back end and delay the bigger hitting until a little bit later when we felt like we could comfortably get to a total we could defend."
"The last two games I have come in a bit earlier when we have lost a few wickets back to back and there is been a little bit of pressure on when I have gone out. It is actually been nice to get through that, be able to get myself in, and not just go out and play a cameo knock in the last 10 overs," Maxwell said.
Pakistan at 218/2 after 42 overs seemed to be in command after centuries from Abid Ali and Mohammad Rizwan. But a flurry of wickets restricted them on 271/8 with fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile claiming 3/53 and pacer Marcus Stoinis returning 2/20.
Australia will aim to hand a whitewash to Pakistan in the fifth and final ODI match on March 31 at the Dubai International Stadium.
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