AUS vs ENG 2018: Glenn Maxwell Has Been Axed Because of Poor Form - Steven Smith

Australia captain Steven Smith has insisted that Glenn Maxwell has been dropped from the ODI squad because of poor form.

Maxwell was being pitted as the favourite to replace Chris Lynn in the squad, but Cameron White was picked instead. Smith also declared White was picked by the selector’s courtesy his prolific run scoring in the domestic 50 over competition this season.

Glenn Maxwell’s omission from the side has been a hot topic, and many cricket pundits have expressed their views on the right-handed batsman technique and inconsistency with the bat. After being dropped from the 14-man squad, skipper Steven Smith said Maxwell needs to train “a little bit smarter”.

Maxwell has been dropped on the back of some disappointing performances in international cricket, as he averages 27.2 in the last ten innings (career average 32.3) and has been one of the weak links in the Australian batting line up.

Smith in a breakfast show on Channel Nine described that Maxwell had been dropped because of his poor form,

“It’s obviously disappointing for Glenn. The selectors have come out and said that he probably hadn’t done enough in the last 20 games. He’s probably averaged around 20,” 

Smith also said White had been the best player in the limited-over format in the Domestic circuit. White got a surprise recall to the limited-overs side after a gap of three years. Smith said,

“He’s probably been the best player in state one-day cricket for the last three years or so, and they’re rewarding him on performance. I think that’s great,” 

Australia will face England in a five-match ODI series scheduled to begin on 14th January and the Australian skipper has insisted this is a great opportunity for them to improve their ODI record which is on the decline in the last 12 to 18 months,

“It’s a great opportunity for us to play some really good one-day cricket. We’ve probably been a little bit disappointing in the last 12, 18 months so it’s a great opportunity to keep the foot on England’s throat.”

“They’re a very good one-day outfit. It makes for a great series. We’ve got a few new players in and they’re going to come in nice and fresh and create some good energy around the group.”

Read More About England’s Tour of Australia 2017/18 here.