Australia versus England in Twenty20 international in Hobart

Having earlier topped his team bowling stats, the enigmatic all-rounder starred with the bat, establishing a Bellerive Oval record T20i innings of 103 not out as the hosts won by five wickets.

But the Victorian rode luck and popular opinion in his 58-ball knock of 10 fours and four sixes.

Dropped in the deep on 40 by Alex Hales, Maxwell received a second life on 59 when he appeared to be caught by Jason Roy. Given out by the on-field umpires, the footage was extensive analysed before it was deemed the low catch had hit the turf.

Maxwell needed no further invitation and saw the Aussies home with nine balls to spare.

Having bounced back from a Test thumping to steamroll the One Day International series, England appeared to have reverted to form in the Twenty20 arena with a collapse of impressive proportions.

Put into bat after David Warner won the toss, the tourists were cruising towards a 200+ target on a balmy Hobart night when they conjured up a collapse of 5-15 to stumble their way to 9-155.

With the Australian pacemen largely silenced for the first half of the England innings, it was the slows who sparked the turnaround.

Maxwell claimed three left-handers for just 10 runs and Ashton Agar (2-15) induced two leading edges to claim as many caught and bowled dismissals leaving the more expensive pace trio of Billy Stanlake, Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye to settle for a wicket apiece.

Hales and Eoin Morgan both looked threatening before departing for 22 while the recalled Dawid Malan hit five fours and two sixes en route to a round half-century before his dismissal prompted the collapse.

Australia’s reply was nothing if not eye-catching.

Facing the first two deliveries, Warner smashed the first straight back over David Willey’s head to the boundary and the second straight into Hales’ hands at deep square leg.

Two balls later Chris Lynn was also on his way – clean bowled by Willey – before D’Arcy Short brought the Hobart crowd to life.

The Hurricanes batsman, whose prolific run-scoring saw him named Big Bash League player of the season, looked predictably at home on the Bellerive deck as he rattled up a quickfire 30.

The biggest cheer of the night greeted one Short six into the Australian dressing room which almost located assistant coach Ricky Ponting in the Ricky Ponting Stand, although the straight drive maximum back over Tom Curran was technically superior.

Short’s departure to a brilliant Adil Rashid caught and bowled threatened to send the second innings along a similar path to the first, especially when Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head went cheaply, before Maxwell steered the ship home and claimed player of the match honours.

Warner said Maxwell’s contribution typified the way he wanted the team to play.

“That’s the way we told the boys to play,” he said.

“He took a gamble and backed himself and the way he played was fantastic.

“If he plays like that and faces 50 balls he is going to get hundreds.

“It was a very good team performance finished off by Maxi.”

England captain Morgan refused to blame the Roy catch controversy for his team’s defeat.

“The third umpire is always right and you’ve got to get on with the game,” he said.

Tasmania’s sole taste of international cricket for the summer attracted a crowd of 9958 – well short of the venue record of 18,149 for a 2015-16 BBL fixture.

Less than a week after the Hurricanes featured in both a BBL semi and final, Tasmanian fans appeared to be suffering a T20 hangover, not helped by the fixture falling on the first day of the new school year.