Maxwell 'warming Head's seat' despite more T20 opening success

Australia allrounder boasts formidable record opening in the T20 format but doesn't expect to stay there when Travis Head returns

00:33 Play video Outrageous! Maxwell makes remarkable boundary-line catch

Glenn Maxwell added another blistering knock to his impressive resume at the top of the order in T20 cricket but admits he doesn't expect to stay there as Australia build towards next year's T20 World Cup.

With Travis Head rested and Matt Short missing Australia's ongoing five-match series against West Indies through injury, Maxwell has joined captain Mitch Marsh at the top for the past three matches.

While part tactical to combat the threat of Windies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein with the new ball, the Australian allrounder also boasts a formidable record opening the batting in the shortest format with an average of 42.76 and strike rate of 181.

The 36-year-old boosted to that record in the fourth T20 in St Kitts with a six-hitting blitz to power Australia to a 4-0 series lead with 47 from 18 balls, clearing the Warner Park boundary six times as the tourists chased down 206 with four balls to spare.

He had also made promising starts opening in the second (12 off 10) and third T20s against the Windies before being run out for 20 off seven balls in the previous match when Marsh called him through for a non-existent quick single.

Despite opening being Maxwell's highest averaging and fastest scoring position in T20 cricket, he declared he's just "warming Heady's seat until he comes back" following this series.

"Probably not," Maxwell said when asked if he could see himself returning to the top of the order in future series.

"It is certainly good fun being up the top; we always talk about in middle order how exciting it is to get up the top and have a bit of fun the Powerplay.

"I think the way we're probably going to set up our T20 side heading forward is you've got Travis up the top, you've got Mitch Marsh who is captaining us brilliantly at the moment.

"I practice it a hell of a lot."

Glenn Maxwell explains how he was able to pull out some magic on the boundary 👏 #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/aYhf0ePwPu — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 27, 2025

"'Ingo' (Josh Inglis) is doing a great job at number three and the rest of the order falls into place around that.

"We've got some unbelievable power hitting at the moment, we've seen some guys really put their hand up – Tim David, Mitch Owen and Cameron Green – throughout the middle.

"They're three pretty big blokes with big reach and they hit the ball an absolute mile so it's great to have those guys with that extra bit of power in the middle order.

01:27 Play video David turns Goliath with phenomenal 37-ball century

"It's not something we've had an abundance of over the years and to have that at our disposal at the moment is pretty exciting."

Such is Australia's plethora of top order options for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Owen's opportunity in his debut international series has come in the middle order despite his breakthrough Big Bash success for Hobart Hurricanes last summer coming opening the batting.

The 23-year-old Tasmanian slotted seamlessly in at No.6 with fifty on debut in the series opener in Jamaica followed by a fine supporting hand of 36 not out from 16 balls in the third T20 in St Kitts as Tim David blazed the fastest ever international century by an Australian.

Owen's switch to the middle order have been part of a deliberate effort by Australian team management to boost their power-hitting and finishing depth alongside Maxwell, David, Green, Cooper Connolly and Marcus Stoinis, who is also missing from this series.

"It's been great to see the growth of some of the guys and 'Greeny' in this series has been absolutely outstanding (with three half-centuries in four innings)," Maxwell said.

"We're seeing him turn into a really consistent and solid T20 player and it's just so exciting for Australian cricket to see these guys with this sort of power and it's going to be dangerous for a lot of teams heading forward."

As well as his runs in the fourth T20, Maxwell's move to the top also had the desired effect on limiting Hosein's influence in the Powerplay with the left-armer not introduced until the eighth over in today's match, which was the equal latest he's ever bowled his first over in a T20 international.

05:30 Play video Maxwell breaks down his stunning moment in the field

"It was part of our strategy to try and take on the spin up front and unfortunately I got run out last game before I got to face him and this game, I got out to him in the first over I got a chance," Maxwell said.

"It has sort of worked in that way to try and push (West Indies) to bowl more pace in the Powerplay and take that spin a bit later on.

"But it's been a nice shift up to the top and hopefully one more game and I can get a few more."

Qantas Tour of the West Indies

First T20I: Australia won by three wickets

Second T20I: Australia won by eight wickets

Third T20I: Australia won by six wickets

Fourth T20I: Australia won by three wickets

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde (St Kitts only), Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell (Kingston only), Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Adam Zampa

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