India vs Australia: Glenn Maxwell talks with Ashton Agar during the third ODI match.© AFP
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell may call it “blatantly unfair” but Glenn Maxwell sees nothing wrong in employing the switch-hit, describing it as a “different part” of cricket’s evolution over the years. A switch hit involves a batsman changing the order of his hands (from left-handed to right handed grip or vice-versa) after the bowler has already started on his run-up. “…it is within the laws of the game. Batting has evolved in such a way, that it has got better and better over the years, which is why we see these massive scores are getting chased down and the scores are going up,” Maxwell said when asked about Chappell’s comments after the ODI series which his team won 2-1.
Maxwell urged the bowlers to come up with a plan to combat the switch hit. “And I suppose it is up-to the bowlers to try and combat that,” he said.
“I suppose the skills of bowlers have been tested everyday with bowlers having to come up with different change-ups, different ways to stop batters,” Maxwell said at the post-match press conference after the third ODI.
He said as the batsmen have evolved, similarly bowlers should also try and innovate. “…we see guys come up with knuckle-balls and wide yorker fields and different tactics. And the tactics of ODI cricket have definitely evolved, so I just see it (switch hit) as a different part of the evolution of the game…,” he added.
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The 77-year-old Chappell had expressed his reservations about the switch hit.
“(Switch-hitting) is amazingly skilful, but it’s not fair,” Chappell had told the Wide World of Sports.
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