Glenn Maxwell reveals Shane Warne's 'love' for London Spirit and insists he wants to put 'his best foot forward' following legend's death... and hopes to use his first Hundred stint to kickstart preparations for Australia's T20 World Cup defence

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Glenn Maxwell has revealed Shane Warne's 'almost bragged' about being the coach of London Spirit and now wants to win the Hundred for the legendary Australian.

The former leg-spinner died in March at the age of 52 while on holiday in Thailand, with his death leaving the cricket world in a state of shock and mourning.

Maxwell, 33, missed what would turn out to be Warne's only season in charge of the Lord's-based team after pulling out of the inaugural edition of the Hundred in June last year.

Glenn Maxwell has revealed Shane Warne's 'almost bragged' about being the coach of London Spirit

The former leg-spinner and Hundred coach died in March at the age of 52 while on holiday

But speaking ahead of their first game of this year's tournament against London rivals Oval Invincibles - to be shown live on Sky Sports -  the Aussie all-rounder revealed Warne's 'love' for his team.

'As soon as I was picked up by London [Spirit] in the draft, I was on the phone to Warnie non-stop trying to work out the team, different combinations,' Maxwell told Sportsmail.

'We were tight off the field and we had a fair bit in common so it has been a pretty hard year for a lot of people. I got to see Jackson (Warne's son) the other day, it was good to see him over here and hopefully he can get to the game and see the boys play.

'Last year he [Warne] had Covid for most of it, so he actually missed a massive chunk because he was isolating for most of the tournament, so he was a bit stitched up there.

Maxwell missed what would turn out to be Warne's only season in charge of the Lord's-based team

'But he said it was an amazing tournament to be a part of. All he was talking about last year was "we were going to get it right". The excitement in his voice... he spoke really passionately about it. He loved this team.

'The amount he talked about this place, he loved it. He almost bragged that he was coaching the team playing at Lord's, which was always quite funny. He absolutely loved it here and we are going to be doing our best to put our best foot forward for him.'

Maxwell is all set to play for London Spirit more than he did last summer but he is still set to cut his Hundred campaign short after been included in a 14-man squad to play six ODIs in August and September against Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

What are effectively T20 World Cup warm-up matches then follow for Aaron Finch's men against India, West Indies and England in the lead-up to their defence of their maiden crown, less than a year after their glorious campaign in the UAE. 

Maxwell admitted he is already gearing up for Australia's defence of their T20 World Cup

It is the tournament Maxwell - who hit 28 off 18 balls in the victory against New Zealand last November - already has his eye on, adding: 'I am trying to get my own preparation done for the T20 World Cup, that is what my whole game is gearing towards at the moment.

'I want to use these conditions and the quality of teams and players in those teams to hopefully get myself prepared. 

'I know I am only here for a short period of time and I have got a long nine months on the road, so it is about getting my body right and being injury free for all that time is gonna be key.

'Especially being the wrong side of 30, you have to be doing all the right things around your training, and it is something I have been working really hard at to keep that consistency of training and gym work going to make sure I stay injury free.

'This [the Hundred] is an exciting new tournament I wanted to be involved in anyway, so I am still going to approach the games the same I do every other game.'

The all-rounder hit 28 off 18 balls in the victory against New Zealand last November

It represents a hectic end to the year for Maxwell, who also revealed he would prefer to bowl a five-ball over rather than 10 consecutive balls in the Hundred, feeling he would not be able 'to get away with' it as a 'standard off-spinner with not a lot of tricks.'

But as scrutiny increases on the jam-packed schedule for domestic and international players all over the world, the 33-year-old insists finding down time is becoming increasingly problematic. 

'It is certainly difficult trying to pick and choose when you do get a break and it is hard when you're travelling because there are still different [Covid] rules all over the place,' he continued.

The 33-year-old insists finding down time in schedules is becoming increasingly problematic

'When you are not having that freedom of just being able to move around and do normal things it can become quite draining, longer and harder on your body and you end up spending a lot of time laying on your bed.

'You are sore and tired and it just compounds on yourself and makes it a lot harder to get through a series. 

'For the domestic player trying to organise your own schedule and pick and choose what you do is a nightmare. I am probably going to be retiring at the right time [at this rate]!'