SL vs AUS | Glenn Maxwell credits ‘calculated risk-taking’ in pulling off a narrow victory in first ODI

If there is one man who handles pressure better than anybody else, then it has to be Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. The stylish batter played a match-winning knock of 80 runs off just 51 balls to take his side past the finishing line against Sri Lanka in the first ODI. 

Australia were asked to chase down a steep total of 282 runs in just 44 overs, and a flurry of wickets in the middle overs put their chase under jeopardy.

Walking into bat with the score reading 189 runs for the loss of five wickets, the visitors needed Glenn Maxwell to step up. The 33-year-old all-rounder revealed that his main objective was to try to hang out in the middle for as long as he could, as the required run rate was well under control.

Maxwell stated that he took calculated risks, as he batted right until the end, scoring the winning runs for his side. He stitched a few crucial partnerships with Alex Carey and Ashton Agar, which brought back Australia into the mix of things.

"I was just trying to stay out there as long as I could. I knew I was going to get balls to score off in my areas at some stage, and I was just trying to take risks at the right time," Maxwell said.

"I think when there was only three overs left, I think that was a good opportunity to try and get the run rate down under six, and then (I) try and do it in the next over without letting it get to the last over, because all sorts of chaos could happen in the last," the Australian cricketer added.

Maxwell ended a successful chase with two sixes off Dushmantha Chameera's penultimate over. The middle-order batter smashed six boundaries and maximums each during the innings and will look to build on the momentum as the series progresses. The second ODI is scheduled to be held on Thursday (June 16) at the same venue in Pallekele.