Birmingham Bears sign Glenn Maxwell

Sport Editor Oscar Frost reports on the Birmingham Bears’ signing of Glenn Maxwell for the 2023 Vitality Blast season

Written by Oscar Frost
Hi! I'm Oscar, and I'm one of your deputy editors for the coming year. I was also a sports editor for two years, and a writer for a year before that.
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Images by Twitter/@GMaxi_32

Birmingham Bears’ signing of Glenn Maxwell for the 2023 Vitality Blast will add experience and excitement to the club. The former World Cup winner is an Australian all-rounder, and is best known for his creativity and power with the bat. 

His off-spin can also be tricky to get away, and he will make a great pairing with fellow spinner Jake Lintott. Also in the Bears’ bowling attack for 2023 is new addition Hassan Ali. The combination of the new signings of Ali and Maxwell with the returning Lintott and Chris Woakes sets the Bears up very well for the season. 

The Bears topped the North Group of the 2022 Vitality Blast, but were bested in a quarter final match against Hampshire. The Bears were bowled out for a measly 82 runs, which suggests that the veteran Maxwell could have steadied the ship somewhat. Hampshire were the eventual champions, defeating Lancashire in a thrilling affair on finals day. 

The veteran Maxwell could have steadied the ship

Maxwell will also get a warmup for the Blast in the Indian Premier League. He will begin his third year with Royal Challengers Bangalore in March, and will hope to live up to his A$2.52 million price tag. RCB were beaten by seven wickets in a play-off against Rajasthan Royals last season, meaning they were just shy of making an appearance in the grand final. Maxwell will hope to bring this experience in knockout T20 matches to the Bears. 

Bears First Team Coach Mark Robinson said that “it’s an amazing signing,” singing his praises across all areas of the game. Robinson especially noted his prowess as a fielder, which is often ignored in the highlight-reel based modern game. 

Maxwell has said that he “can’t wait to get stuck into a new challenge with the Bears,” and fans will not be able to wait to watch him either.  

Will Maxwell be the missing piece of the puzzle for the Bears to replicate their Vitality Blast heroics of 2022? His skill and experience will certainly boost the team, and could bring them back to their best.

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