Glenn Maxwell is determined to help Hampshire to a fifth successive NatWest T20 Blast finals day – even if he will not be there.
Hampshire sit second in the South Group ahead of tomorrow night’s meeting with Gloucestershire and are on course to again be on duty at Edgbaston for one of the showpiece days in the English domestic calendar.
Should they do so it is unlikely Maxwell will be able to join them - with Australia due to play a one-day international series in Zimbabwe at the same time – but the all-rounder is not fussed.
Maxwell jumped at the chance to return to the south coast – after he blitzed his way through the Indian Premier League – and join a Hampshire team he rates as one of the best he has played in.
“They love their finals day and have been to the last three or four,” he told ecb.co.uk
“They’re a super T20 line-up and I think it would be wrong if they weren’t there.
“They are a super side and one of the better ones I’ve played in.”
Hampshire’s top-order is the envy of most in the blast with skipper James Vince, Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams, Owais Shah and Maxwell himself all capable of stealing a game away.
The Australian has not fired just yet but has been part of two wins from two – the latest at Somerset when the lower order showed their capabilities with bat in hand.
“It’s a super line-up,” Maxwell said.
“Just the way we played against Somerset the other day shows how deep our batting line-up is.
“With eight and nine almost doing the job for us after the top six or seven didn’t do the job - that shows how deep the batting line-up is.
“It’s a pretty impressive.”
Spinner Danny Briggs is set to return to Hampshire’s team after missing the past two games.
Gloucestershire are in need of a victory after their campaign has stalled in the past fortnight.
They split their opening two games before they suffered a disappointing rained out match at home to Glamorgan after piling up 207 for three.
* Hampshire have won all four of their Twenty20 fixtures against Gloucestershire and have won eight of their last 10 completed domestic home T20s.
* Danny Briggs needs two more wickets to reach 100 in all Twenty20 cricket.