Glenn Maxwell has cemented his legacy and 'inspired a generation'. Is his gas tank nearly empty?

For many years, Glenn Maxwell had a certain perception and stigma attached to the way he played cricket for Australia - but that all changed in late-2023 and now those who questioned him may only have limited time left to enjoy him.

Early in his career, Maxwell was seen as the poster boy for everything the previous generation hated about white-ball cricket due to his aggressive and flamboyant style.

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The switch hits, reverse sweeps, ramp shots and everything in between became regular parts of Maxwell's batting arsenal and when it didn't come off, all hell broke loose.

Having a nickname like "The Big Show" didn't help matters, even if there is conjecture over how Maxwell ended up being labelled with the same moniker as a WWE legend.

You only have to remember the reaction to his infamous Big Bash dismissal in 2014, where he bizarrely backed away and let the ball cannon into his stumps for a golden duck, to understand just how easy it was for Maxwell to be picked apart and ridiculed.

Maxwell's early foray into the Australian team in 2012 was met with a few eye rolls and head scratchers from those who believed he was nothing more than a big hitter.

Selectors persisted with him for many years, getting mixed results in return.

It took more than 40 ODI matches for Maxwell to finally score a breakthrough century, when he blasted 102 off 53 balls against Sri Lanka in the 2015 World Cup - a tournament that the Aussies ended up winning by beating New Zealand in the final.

The ton came at the perfect time though and it was the first glimpse into Maxwell's ability to stand up under pressure and deliver on the big stage.

Still, the question marks remained and his role in the Melbourne Stars' capitulation in the 2019 Big Bash decider, where he was dismissed cheaply in a horror batting collapse, only added fuel to the fire for Maxwell's detractors.

Maxwell continued remained a mainstay in the Australian white-ball set up for many years after that and again, to varying degrees of success.

He played a pivotal part in Australia's maiden T20 World Cup triumph in 2021, scoring an important 28 not out off 18 balls in the final against the Black Caps.

But without question, the defining moment of Maxwell's career and one that left even his biggest critics eating their words came in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

In a must-win group stage game against Afghanistan, the powerful right-hander walked out to the crease with his side on the ropes at 4-49 and needing 292 to win.

Marnus Labuschagne soon departed, before Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc were both sent back to the pavilion for single-figure scores, leaving the Aussies at 7-91.

All hope looked lost when captain Pat Cummins walked out to join Maxwell.

What unfolded next was the most remarkable innings not only in a World Cup, but one of the best knocks ever seen in the sport's history.

Maxwell reached his century off 76 deliveries, putting his opponents on high alert, but the game was still very much Afghanistan's to lose.

When he started to battle with cramps in the searing Mumbai heat, clutching at both legs and needing medical attention, Australia's hopes were hanging by a thread.

But in a show of true defiance, Maxwell battled on and put the country on his back.

With four overs remaining, Australia required 21 runs to win and Maxwell needed the same amount to bring up the first double-ton in the country's ODI history.

Maxwell, facing spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, got it done in just four balls as he went 6, 6, 4, 6 to seal the result and celebrated with an enormous grin on his face.

"The most remarkable thing you will ever see in cricket," commentator Ian Smith said.

His double-ton was the first scored by an Australian in the format, the first ever from a chasing team and the first scored by a player other than an opening batter.

Cummins contributed just 12 from 68 balls at the other end during the historic 202-run partnership with Maxwell, proving it truly was a one-man show.

As the fans back home in Australia woke to the highlights package, which included a ridiculous 21 fours and 10 sixes, the world reacted in style.

"It is hard to put into words," Ricky Ponting told ICC's Digital Daily at the time.

"Tonight is something we are going to be talking about for a very long time.

"What an innings like that can do around a team, is that it can create unbelievable belief that you can win from anywhere."

Many including Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan were quick to label it the greatest ODI innings of all-time and more than two years removed, it's hard to disagree.

"The greatest ODI knock of all time, without any doubt," Vaughan told BBC at the time.

While the plaudits were coming thick and fast for Maxwell after his career-defining moment, there was still a job to do for the Aussies.

After the unlikely win cemented their semi-final spot, Australia won by three wickets against South Africa and set up a spot in the decider against host nation India.

In the final, it was Travis Head's turn to steal the show, scoring a century that totally silenced the 100,000 fans in attendance at Narendra Modhi Stadium and delivered the Aussies the trophy for a record sixth time - but if it wasn't for Maxwell's heroics less than a fortnight earlier against Afghanistan, they never would have made it that far.

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan told the ICC months after the match that Maxwell's performance stuck with him and gave him nightmares.

"At night, whenever I'm going to sleep, sometimes I do think about that game," he said.

"It comes into the mind. When I think about that game, my body just changes. That was an unbelievable knock, one of the best innings we have ever seen."

The one-legged double-century cemented Maxwell's legacy in the green and gold, silencing all noise about him as one of the country's great white-ball players.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald said at the time that Maxwell's performance, where he still utilised his 360 approach under the highest form of pressure, would act as a shining light for the next generation of cricketers wanting to do things their own way.

"Glenn Maxwell will no doubt inspire a new generation with some outrageous shots and they'll take it even further than he has," McDonald said..

"That's the beauty about this game, the limits are endless. He stretched the boundaries as did AB de Villiers, as did Ricky Ponting in their time as well.

"He sees the game differently ... it never ceases to amaze."

Those words from 2023 from the coach ring true today and you don't have to look far to see batters who took pages out of Maxwell's never-ending book of trick shots.

Sam Konstas, Cooper Connolly, Campbell Kellaway, Oliver Peake and Joel Davies have all shown at varying levels of the game what they can do and the influence of a player like Maxwell on the way they go about their business is clear to see.

And with the 37-year-old now likely embarking on his final T20 World Cup campaign with the Aussie side, the next generation's takeover is almost upon us.

Maxwell has already retired from the 50-over format ahead of next year's ODI World Cup and it's unfathomable to think he will feature in the next T20 World Cup in 2028.

In the shorter term, Maxwell comes into this tournament under pressure, fresh off a disappointing season with the Melbourne Stars where he struggled for runs.

But if we know anything about "The Big Show" it's that when his back is up against the wall and the pressure is on, Maxwell can stand up and be counted on.

Australia have plenty of issues in this World Cup with some key players unavailable due to injury - but as long as Maxwell is in the team, you can simply never write them off.

And what better way to potentially cap off an international career that has spanned more than 275 games than lifting yet another trophy?