South Africa superstar lauds his Melbourne Stars teammate's ability to dissect a game and play all around the ground
Steyn puts Maxwell on pedestal with de Villiers and Sehwag
Pace legend Dale Steyn has described his new Melbourne Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell as a "phenomenal thinker of the game", comparing the T20 batting superstar to master blasters AB de Villiers and Virender Sehwag.
Steyn made his Stars debut in Friday night's KFC BBL defeat to the Adelaide Strikers, a match that Maxwell threatened to snatch in the final overs with a stunning 43 from 25 balls.
The innings included four sixes and was another remarkable example of Maxwell's firepower, just a week on from his match-winning 83 from 39 balls against the Heat in his first game back after taking a break from cricket.
The 31-year-old is the ICC's fifth-ranked T20I batsman and one of only three men to have scored three-plus international hundreds in the format.
"When it comes to T20, you very rarely get guys that strike it as cleanly as he does," Steyn said post-match. "He's very smart, too, the way he goes about it. You talk about guys like AB de Villiers being a 360 (degree) player but 'Maxi' is up there, too.
"It's just a nickname that AB's earned because he plays like that, but had AB not been around you could've easily nicknamed someone like Maxi 'Mr 360' because he's got that capability of taking you down in areas you don't want the ball to go.
"Tonight again he proved it. What was he striking at – almost 200 when everybody else was struggling to get going, so it shows what kind of player he is."
Maxwell sliced Strikers paceman Wes Agar for a pair of sixes in the 16th over of the Stars' run chase, and the incredible shots reminded Steyn of an Indian legend.
"He's got strong wrists – there's not many players that can hit you for six over point; Sehwag was someone that could open the blade like that," he added.
"(Maxwell is) very clever because the next ball he could flick you over deep square, so as a bowler you're always guessing what he's up to.
"You bring third man up, you bring point up, he hits you for six there. You change it up and he hits you for six somewhere else.
"He's a phenomenal thinker of the game and then ultimately he can execute, too."
The Stars next take on the Hurricanes in Launceston on December 30.