2 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell

Many of the innovative shots in modern-day cricket owe their origins to Glenn Maxwell. The batting allrounder first gained global fame in 2013 when, just six months after his international debut, he earned a million-dollar contract from Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians. He first showed promising signs for Australia in white-ball cricket during the side’s ODI tour of India in late 2013, scoring 172 of his 248 runs in boundaries. A few months later, Maxwell justified his IPL hype with a successful season with Kings XI Punjab – also finishing as the league’s third-highest run getter. Maxwell’s destructive batting technique resurfaced in his side’s triumphant 2015 ODI World Cup campaign when he smashed a 51-ball ton against Sri Lanka at the SCG – the quickest for Australia in ODIs and the second-quickest in World Cup history. A crowd-favourite in the Big Bash League, the veteran has captained the Melbourne Stars to the finals in two successive seasons.

Maxwell learned to bat left-handed while at primary school because nobody could dismiss him when he batted right-handed and he was told he would be banned from playing unless he switched.