After powering Australia to a total of 277 in the first innings of the fourth ODI against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium with his 82-ball 98, Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell said that he doesn’t care as much for making centuries as he does for earning his team victories.
“I’m not going to look back on my career when I’m done and think about all the hundreds I’ve missed,” Maxwell told reporters in the post-match press conference. “I’m going to think about the wins we had.
“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 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 doesn’t really matter too much to me.”
It was the massive partnership of 134 between Alex Carey and Maxwell in the middle overs of the Australian innings that resurrected the visitors, after they were reduced to 140 for 5 at one point. Trying to maximize run-making opportunities, Maxwell was run-out in the last over after going for a double that was always going to be tough to complete.
However, that mattered little to Maxwell, who was acting in the interest of the team rather than preserving a personal milestone. He added, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes as a middle-order batter (in the past) 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’ve come in a bit earlier when we’ve lost a few wickets back to back and there’s been a little bit of pressure on when I’ve gone out. It’s 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.”
With the win, Australia took a 4-0 lead in the five match ODI series, and also marked their seventh consecutive victory in ODIs since the third match of the tour of India.
