Up to bowlers to adapt to innovative shot-making, says big-hitting Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has hit back at claims the switch-hit should be outlawed and told bowlers it is on them to adapt to the evolution of short-form cricket. The Australia allrounder played what could well remain the shot of the summer on Thursday night, reverse-sweeping India spinner Kuldeep Yadav over point for six.

The right-hander managed to change his grip and stance while the ball was in flight, backing himself with the wind to hit it 100 metres in to the stand at Manuka Oval. It came after Ian Chappell this week called for the shot to be outlawed, arguing it provided an unfair advantage to the batsman.

Chappell adopted the usual argument that a bowler is not able to change the arm he delivers the ball with without notifying the batsman, so the same should apply at the other end. But Maxwell, who pulled off a similar shot in the second ODI in Sydney on Sunday, said that was not a concern for the batting side.

“It’s within the laws of the game and batting has evolved in a way that has got better and better over the years,” Maxwell said. “That’s why we see massive scores that can be chased down.

“It’s up to the bowlers to combat that. The skills of bowlers have developed. The way batting is evolving, bowlers have to evolve in the same way. They’re having to come up with different change-ups and different ways to stop batters, and with the way they shut down one side of the ground and whatnot.”

Maxwell’s 59 runs off 38 balls was not enough to get Australia home in Canberra. But his 167 runs from 86 balls across the series shows that his big hitting is likely to come to the fore again in the Twenty20 series, starting on Friday.

Chappell has been one of several opponents of the switch-hit shot over the year, claiming it is unfair teams cannot change their field to adapt to the batsman changing his stance.

“How can one side of the game … have to tell the umpire how they’re going to bowl?” Chappell told nine.com.au. “And yet the batsman, he lines up as a right-hander – I’m the fielding captain, I place the field for the right-hander – and before the ball’s been delivered, the batsman becomes a left-hander.

“One of the main reasons why he’s becoming a left-hander is so he can take advantage of those field placings. I’d love the administrators who made those laws, I’d love them to explain to me how that’s fair.”

Shane Warne on Wednesday night suggested rules could be tweaked in response to allow bowlers to change sides without notifying the batsman.

source: theguardian.com