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Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey is hoping that all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will carry forward his Indian Premier League (IPL) form onto the T20 World Cup.
Australia will open its T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa on October 23 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. "He's been great to watch. He's been on fire. He's been confident and the good thing is it's in those conditions in the UAE (he has performed). So hopefully he can carry his IPL form into the World cup because he's going to be a critical member of the team," Hussey told foxsports.com.au
"It's a tough role to play there in the middle order in T20 cricket so if you've got someone who's in top form and on top of their game then we've seen he can be a match-winner on his own," he added.
In 15 matches played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this season, Maxwell scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 with a strike rate of 144.10.
Talking about Australia's chances at the World Cup, Hussey said: "I'm actually pretty optimistic about Australia's chances. I think we've got a really good team, a dangerous team. If they can get their confidence up, adapt well to the conditions, then I think it's a pretty darn good team. Hopefully they can get on a roll."
"I think Australia, if they can start well and adapt to those conditions in the UAE -- thankfully we've got a few guys playing in the IPL and so that's a big bonus," he added.