Smith backs misfiring Maxwell to return to his menacing best

Australian skipper Steve Smith has suggested that out-of-form all-rounder Glenn Maxwell need to find a way to become a bit more consistent, urging him to give himself some time on the crease before going for shots.

Maxwell, who is currently playing in the ongoing Caribbean tri-series, was dismissed for mere three and a duck in his side's first two matches against West Indies and South Africa.

"Maxi works hard and he just needs to be a bit more consistent with the bat. Getting out in the middle in those situations, he has to find a way to get started and knock the ball around a little bit to get into his innings. He obviously hasn't done that too well lately, and neither have I, which is frustrating," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Smith admitted that Maxwell has been going through a rough patch in the ODI format lately, but defended that he went unlucky against the Proteas, who won the match by 47 runs in the third match of the Caribbean triangular series.

The match saw Aaron Finch demand a review when he was hit on the pads from Tabraiz Shamsi's second ball before Maxwell was on the wrong end of an incorrect decision, an earlier unsuccessful review from Smith costing the all-rounder the chance to send the on-field ruling upstairs.

"I used up our referral when me and Finchy (Aaron Finch) thought it might have hit me outside the line or was missing the stumps, but unfortunately I was out and we lost the review. I don't think Maxi was overly happy about that when he copped his decision, but that's cricket. Finchy probably had three or four moments where he could have been out LBW but wasn't, so you take the good with the bad," he added.

Australia will play their first match of the second leg of the tour against South Africa at the Warner Park, in Basseterre on Saturday.