Nobody can deny that being an effective and successful T20 player has become a skill. We have seen time and time again the West Indian players specifically, master this talent and exploit their opponents to the nth degree with their big hitters and clever bowling.
However, lately the names that comes to mind when you think of ‘big hitters’ are Glenn Maxwell and David ‘Killer’ Miller. Both have exploded onto the scene as the ones to go to when you need a bunch of runs in a really short amount of time. The Kings XI Punjab has benefited from both these players in tandem during the recent IPL tournaments, but Australia and South Africa have capitalised on their talents respectively.
Unfortunately for them both, their biggest weakness has become crystal clear. Place Maxwell and Miller in pressure situations with their teams down too many wickets too early in an innings or without a defendable total and they simply crumble. While they may be the ones to hit the big shots all over the park, when it comes down to batting a smart and calculated innings, they seem unable to adapt their game to suit this. To put it simply, they can’t play an innings without going ballistic right from the get go and this is a major problem. If they are able to get going with each shot coming off perfectly, they are hugely successful. But if they misfire and go out within the first ten balls they face, then what?
In T20 cricket, it may be slightly more forgiving. Maxwell typically comes in around 3 or 4 for Australia, while Miller is usually in around 5 or 6 for South Africa. With both teams, they look to their openers and top order batsmen to set the ground work and with the talent both teams possess, this is usually a major platform allowing for the big swingers to come in at the end and do what they do best.
However, this doesn’t always happen and when Maxwell and Miller find themselves in a lot earlier than they expect, they seem clueless as to how they should play to last as long as possible and build a solid partnership. This is better portrayed in ODI cricket and can become the Achilles heel for their teams come the World Cup. While playing T20, cricket forces teams to adapt a different game plan to ODI cricket; the roles Maxwell and Miller play within their teams seems to remain the same.
In limited overs cricket, mainly ODI cricket in this case, you need batsmen who can find the boundary with ease, but at the same time you need those who can knock it around for a few overs to get themselves in. If the mentality of the team as a whole changes between the formats, the mentalities of each batsman should too. Just because you are known for being the hard hitter does not allow you to play that role again and again, irrespective of the situation.
I am not denying their talent and abilities as batsmen; I have an immense amount of respect for both players and enjoy watching them play just as much as everyone else. Both are spectacular in the field and Maxwell is able to contribute with the ball, but this is not the reason for them being selected and I believe if they are not able to adapt and bat more conservatively, I feel they might become liabilities and simply find no place within their squads, a comment I never believed I would utter.
Ultimately, both have their weaknesses—as well as an immense amount of talent and skill—that they need to work on as the World Cup draws closer. Batting smartly becomes a bigger necessity than being a big hitter, especially when you find yourself in those sticky situations and realistically both teams with be there at least once or twice come February.
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