Australia sees Glenn Maxwell as a front-line spin bowler and expects the all-rounder to have a big ODI World Cup, captain Pat Cummins said on Saturday ahead of the opening match against India here at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
“In the 2015 World Cup, he was the sole spinner in basically every single match I think other than one so really happy with how he’s going. So, we’ve got 20 overs of spin out there if we need it,” Cummins, who will be leading for the first time in a World Cup, said in the pre-match press conference.
Apart from Maxwell, Australia brags of three more all-rounders – Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, and Cameron Green - who, as the captain said, will be chipping in “when they need to”.
However, there is a question mark over availability of Stoinis, who is recovering from a hamstring injury since the recent Mohali ODI, and will be present in Australia’s optional training session in the evening before the call on his Sunday’s inclusion is taken.
“Stoinis is still touch and go. He’s going to have a run out this afternoon, but probably up against it, he’s got to jump through a few hoops. We’ll see,” the captain said.
The Cummins-led side has a lot of mellowed down characters, contrary to the image the past Australian teams hold, and the captain is proud of the way his troops have similar personalities on and off the field.
“It’s more a reflection of who we are as people. In any team you’ve got different characters. Most of our guys are pretty chilled out.”
However, the 30-year-old did warn that the World Cup might puff up a few chests and he wouldn’t mind that.
“It is a World Cup. I think you’re going to see some boys get fired up at different times. We’re all passionate and ridiculously competitive,” he said.
Heading into the Sunday clash, Cummins said that he is excited about the next couple of months and that his team is on a journey to make them special.
