Star Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has responded to the growing discussion around the legitimacy of switch-hitting, insisting "it's within the laws of the game."
Nearly unrivalled in his natural ability at the crease, Maxwell has an arsenal of shots at his dispense and makes no apology for his innovation with the bat in hand.
The centrepiece of Australia's run-chase in last night's ODI loss to India, Maxwell cracked a 59 off 38, which included a monstrous reverse sweep for six that had Manuka Oval in disbelief.
The 100m blow was a genuine switch-hit in which Maxwell flipped both his bat grip and stance; after playing variations of switch-hits and reverse-sweep shots at other times in the series.
It follows a week of hot discussion led by Aussies Test legend Ian Chappell, around the fairness of switch-hitting and the importance of maintaining an even playing field for bowlers.
"It is very skilful, some of it's amazingly skilful – but it's not fair," Chappell said.
Aussie spin-king Shane Warne agreed.
"As a bowler, we have to nominate what hand we're bowling with and what side of the wicket we're bowling with," Warne said during Fox Cricket's coverage.
"I'm not sure I like it. It's worth a discussion, worth a debate to work out what's the right thing."
When those comments were put to him after the game, Maxwell was not so convinced.
"It's within the laws of the game," Maxwell said after his innings.
"I think batting has evolved in such a way that it's just got better and better over the years which is why we're seeing these massive scores getting chased down and scores are going up.
"I suppose it's up to the bowlers to try and combat that, and the skills of bowlers are being tested every day.
"They're having to come up with different change-ups and different ways to stop batters and with the way they shut down one side of the ground and whatnot.
"I suppose the way that batting is evolving, I think bowling has got to evolve to the same stage, so you see guys come up with knuckle balls and wide-yorker fields and different tactics.
"The tactics of one-day cricket have definitely evolved over the last little bit as well, so I just see it as a different part of the evolution of the game."
Maxwell is probably one of only a handful of people in the world who could have played the shot at Manuka Oval on Wednesday night.
"It probably helped it was with a pretty decent wind," he said.
"I wasn't too worried about the boundary rider there and just thought if I got it up in the air it was going to travel.
"But I got it pretty clean, and lucky enough, it went over the rope."
Former Test spinner Kerry O'Keeffe said that he was in favour of switch-hitting, an extraordinary skill which few cricketers in the world have mastered.
"I wouldn't mind people trying to switch-hit me, because I reckon it's a higher-risk shot," O'Keeffe said.
"It's not against the laws [of cricket]. Running in right-handed over the wicket and bowling around the wicket is illegal. It's outside the laws.
"Switch-hitting is inside the laws and it's entertaining. I like it."
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