SAM MORSHEAD AT EDGBASTON: Many see Maxwell as the haphazard gambler, equipped excess self-confidence and a comfortable bankroll. It's a perception thing. But in this tournament, it has been supported by statistics
Glenn Maxwell has every shot in the book, the trouble has been in this World Cup that none of them have regularly come off.
Maxwell is a thrill-a-minute cricketer, an innovator, a game-changer, but during Australia’s campaign he has looked a little lost, grasping for his role in the side, never quite hitting his potential.
After 10 matches, he still has not been able to forge for himself a stay at the wicket of longer than 25 balls.
Here, he lasted 23 before popping a simple catch to cover, perhaps deceived by a slightly slower Jofra Archer delivery, perhaps undone by some stickiness in the wicket
It must be so frustrating for Australia, their selectors, fans and - most of all - for Maxwell himself.
Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for 22 as Australia crumbled
Members of the Aussie press pack, who know the man they call the Big Show better than most and see first-hand the work he puts in away from matchday, speak of a character always looking to better himself, always trying to find new ways to score, and never prone to taking on an attack on a whim.
The problem is, those of us who see him mostly in green and gold see a player making it up as he goes along, an individual too willing to chance his arm on the biggest stage, the haphazard gambler with a dollop of excess self-confidence and a comfortable bankroll.
It’s a perception thing. But in this tournament, it has been supported by statistics.
Maxwell’s scores read: 4*, 0, 28, 20, 46*, 32, 12, 1, 12, 22. He has accumulated 177 runs at a strike rate in the 160s, but averages just 22.
Is he trying too hard to fit a persona prescribed to him by commentators? He has a back-catalogue of first-class innings which prove he has it in him to dig in his heels - a Test 104 in Ranchi, spread across 185 balls and more than four hours is a prime example.
Maybe he hasn’t been helped by Australia failing to identify exactly how he can best be utilised - a designated No.6, a floating pinch-hitter, a finisher, Maxwell has been everything and nothing at this World Cup.
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How quickly do you reckon you could think, having been struck in the head by a five-and-three-quarter-ounce lump of leather at 86 miles per hour?
Alex Carey showed remarkable reactions when presented with just that situation early in his innings at Edgbaston.
The Australian wicketkeeper was struck on the chinstrap by a ferocious bouncer from Jofra Archer, the force of which dislodged his helmet from atop his head.
Had the lid bounced back onto his stumps, he would have been on his way, yet Carey displayed the presence of mind to open out his left arm and grab it before it hit the floor.
Maybe it was subconscious, the reflexes of a smart gloveman. Whatever, it was crucial.
Alex Carey showed great reaction to grab his tumbling helmet
It’s been a quiet World Cup for Adil Rashid.
England’s legspinner, struggling with a shoulder injury, has not been at his incisive best during the middle overs, and his team have missed the weight of wickets which they have become so used to in recent years.
In the group stages, he claimed eight at an average of 54.12, with an economy rate a shade below a run a ball. He struck every 55 deliveries. In every category, his figures were the worst of England’s bowlers.
In this semi-final, the trend looked set to continue.
He chuntered through his early overs, bowling quicker than usual, not finding a great deal of turn and pushing the ball through rather than giving it the opportunity to bite.
A third of the way through his allocation and he was once again going at sixes. And then, it clicked.
A little extra air enticed Alex Carey into a clumsy flick which found James Vince in the deep and, three balls later, Marcus Stoinis failed to pick Rashid’s stock googly, and was trapped on the thighpad in front of off stump.
He might not have removed Steve Smith, but Rashid had changed the complexion of the game and the atmosphere around Edgbaston. From 117 for 3, Australia were 118 for 5. The Hollies was buoyant, the Aussies were on edge, England rediscovered draining belief.
Rashid’s second five overs were the best of his World Cup campaign - purposeful, nagging, teasing. He collected the wicket of Pat Cummins, done in the flight and dragged into edging to slip, and finished with his best return of the competition.
Adil Rashid finished with 3-53 at Edgbaston
Jos Buttler is regarded as one of the best footballers in the England squad, and at Edgbaston he took some of those skills and reinterpreted them for his primary sport.
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When Jason Roy flicked a physics-defying six over fine leg’s head in the sixth over of the chase, England reached lofty and ne’er-before-seen milestone.
It was the 70th time the hosts had cleared the ropes in this competition.
The previous best by a side in a men’s World Cup? Sixty-eight by West Indies in 2015. Hat-tip to John Leathers (@hypocaust) for the stat.
Roy and Jonny Bairstow have been responsible for plenty of those maximums, and their extraordinary partnership reached another huge landmark in this game as it passed through the 500-run mark for the tournament.
No English duo has managed this in a men's World Cup before, and only six have done so from all countries.
Let's think about this for a minute. Roy missed three matches with a hamstring injury, meaning the pair have only had seven innings together. So much of England's success depends on their brutal brilliance up top.
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