Deadly with the bat and controlled with the ball, Glenn Maxwell is a vital cog in this Australia side and Pat Cummins insists he holds the key to their hopes of landing a sixth World Cup.
The defending champions prepared for their opener against Afghanistan on Saturday with a comfortable five-wicket win against Sri Lanka to back up their 12-run victory against England on Friday.
The manner of those wins has re-affirmed what many knew before the tournament - that after a four-year struggle in ODI cricket, Australia are back as one of the form sides in the world.
Series wins in India and against Pakistan have rightly filled Justin Langer’s side with confidence and Maxwell has played a huge role, hitting three half-centuries in their 5-0 series win in the UAE.
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A spell at Lancashire has also seen him adjust to English conditions prior to the tournament and vice-captain Cummins expects him to hit the ground running.
“I think the way he has turned games around for us in the last couple of months has been impressive with the bat and then he is also an option to bowl ten overs,” he said.
“He is also able to get run-outs and take catches. You get all three facets out of him and he is always there in tough situations.
“He is probably our sixth bowler but on a good day he can get through all ten. He’s in good form.
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“Fans always expect us to do well and we are the same. Luckily, we have had a lot of success in the last 30 or 40 years so we are confident.”
Australia were forced to field at the Hampshire Bowl but made steady progress throughout Sri Lanka’s innings, restricting the Lions to 239/8 from their 50 overs.
Five of those wickets came via spin but Cummins and his fellow fast bowlers also caused Sri Lanka a mountain of problems.
Usman Khawaja’s 89 helped steer Langer’s men safely to the target and the 26-year-old insists they are in a perfect place.
“We have played consistent cricket for the last few months. It can be hard to go from Test cricket to ODI cricket and adjust and build a settle team,” he added.
“But in the last six months, we have built a special team and everyone has found their roles. If you asked us six or 12 months ago who would be in the side, there would have been far more question marks.
“Everyone feels like we are all in a good place, we have played a lot of games now. We are ready to play tomorrow.
“We will just to through the usual routines now, nothing specific, just some low-key bits to make sure we are ready.”
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(Courtesy: ICC)
