Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai and Australia’s Josh Inglis should be given a chance in Punjab Kings’ playing XI — that’s the opinion of former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull.
Glenn Maxwell just can’t seem to shake off his IPL struggles. Much like last season, the Australian all-rounder is once again searching for form. His string of poor performances has clearly frustrated Doull, who believes it’s time for Punjab to drop him.
Last season, Maxwell played for Royal Challengers Bangalore but managed only 52 runs across nine innings, though he did take six wickets in six innings with his off-spin. After that dismal run, RCB released him before the mega auction in November. Punjab, his former franchise where he played five seasons before joining Bangalore, picked him up again for INR 4.2 crore.
On his day, Maxwell can dismantle any bowling attack single-handedly with his explosive batting. Naturally, Punjab were excited to bring him back. But so far this season, he hasn’t lived up to expectations.
He got a golden duck in Punjab’s opening match against Gujarat Titans. In the next game against Lucknow Super Giants, he didn’t get a chance to bat. A 30-run knock off 21 balls against Rajasthan Royals — featuring one six and three boundaries — gave a glimpse of promise. But in the following two matches, he fell flat again: just 1 run against Chennai Super Kings and 3 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Across five matches this season, Maxwell has scored only 34 runs in total. With the ball, he hasn’t made much impact either, picking up just three wickets.
Simon Doull, now a commentator and cricket analyst, believes Maxwell is not contributing in his key strength — batting — and that it’s time to move on. Speaking on a Cricbuzz show, he also questioned the manner of Maxwell’s dismissals.
“I think Maxwell has had enough opportunities. The way he’s getting out now — if I were a coach, I’d be really disappointed.”
He added:
“From their [Punjab’s] point of view, I think that’s the most frustrating part. That’s why I’d like to see Omarzai and Inglis being played in his place.”
Punjab Kings have won three out of their five games so far this season. They currently sit at sixth in the points table and are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.
