Maxwell the hero but Finch still on top

It’s not uncommon for cricketers to be completely oblivious as they close in on certain records or milestones, but Aaron Finch ensured his teammate Glenn Maxwell was afforded no such opportunity during his blistering innings of 145 not out in the first Twenty20 international at Pallekele Stadium last night.

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Finch currently holds the record for the highest individual score in T20I cricket and has done so since his epic 156 against England in August 2013, but his fellow Victorian came the closest yet to breaking the mark as he powered Australia to the highest score ever seen in the format, a massive 3-263.

In a twist of fate, it was actually Finch’s fractured finger – suffered in Sunday’s fifth and final one-day international – that opened the door for Maxwell to be promoted up the order and take strike first ball in his return to international action after being axed from the ODI squad last month.

Despite the injured digit, Finch has stayed with the squad in the final week of the tour to assist with 12th man duties and used the role to his advantage in reminding his former housemate of the impending record.

Once young gun Travis Head retained the strike for the penultimate delivery of the innings – all but ensuring the world record was out of reach – Finch cheekily celebrated from the dugout in the knowledge that he would hold on to his place in history for the time being.

"He’d been telling me at every possible chance that I was going to beat his score," Maxwell told media after play.

"He said ‘you won’t get my 14 sixes but you’ll get my score here’.

"I knew it before I went out there anyway, he’s told me about 300 times having lived with him, I had to watch the highlights every day with him at home.

"So I might have to put something else on his phone now."

Maxwell’s 65-ball blitz comes less than a week after Finch had joined him – and Simon O’Donnell - with the fastest ODI half-century by an Australian when he turned Rangiri Dambulla Stadium into his playground, bringing up his fifty from just 18 deliveries.

The innings prompted a tongue-in-cheek response from Maxwell via Twitter, suggesting Finch’s knock was made easier by the Power Play conditions experienced by opening batsmen.

And the entertaining allrounder made the most of his opportunity to walk the walk last night as he ventured out to the middle alongside captain David Warner to begin proceedings.

"I actually had a chat to Greg Blewett a couple of days ago, after Finchy broke his finger I spoke to him and said 'gee I’d love a crack at the top of the order'," he said.

"And sure enough a couple of days later Bull (Warner) gave me a tap on the shoulder and said I was going to be up the top with him.

"I was really excited about it and looking forward to the opportunity."

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It was the first time Maxwell has been deployed as an opener for Australia in the 20-over format, but he also had a brief taste of the role when he opened alongside Finch in an ODI in the 2012-13 summer.

On that occasion, Maxwell dined out on the West Indies attack with an unbeaten 51 as the hosts chased down the measly target of 71 in just 9.2 overs.

While recognising the lack of opportunities available at the top of the order in most of the teams he features in, Maxwell says opening the batting was a role he relished in the game’s shortest format.

"I really enjoyed batting at the top of the order in T20 cricket, I find that it’s easier to get into your innings," he said after collecting the second T20I Player-of-the-Match award in his career.

"When you’re in the middle-order you have to be proactive the whole time and it seems that if you get out playing a big shot at that stage of the game it all falls on your shoulders.

"At the top of the order you’ve got a bit more freedom to get yourself into the game and just play pretty normal cricket shots without taking too many risks.

"You’ve only got to beat two guys on the fence, and the way they set fields at the start made it pretty obvious where they were going to bowl.

"So that made my job a lot easier in the first six."