Glenn Maxwell was the toast of the 39th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 between Australia and Afghanistan, as he played probably the greatest ODI knock ever to take his team to an impossible-looking win.
This encounter was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 7, 2023. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first. Ibrahim Zadran scored 129*, the first World Cup ton by an Afghani batter and took the team to a formidable 291/5 in 50 overs.
Then the Afghan pacers Naveen Ul Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets each and along with Rashid Khan’s twin scalps, reduced Australia to 91/7 in 19 overs.
But then Glenn Maxwell kept his belief and added 202* runs for the 8th wicket with captain Pat Cummins (12*). He did the majority of scoring, playing perhaps the best knock of this and all World Cups.
Maxwell made 201* in 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes as Australia won by 3 wickets and qualified for the semi-finals of the CWC 2023. They join India and South Africa in the knockouts, with one spot still open.
Maxwell was named the Player of the Match and in the post-match presentation said that the belief was there to win this match despite the loss of wickets early on.
He told official broadcasters: “It was hot while fielding today, I haven't done a lot of exercise in the heat, it got a hold on me today. I wanted to stay back and get some movement (on my legs). Not too much (when asked about plans at 92/7), just stick to the batting plans as much as possible, for me, still be positive, still look to play my shots, that LBW, it was going just above (the stumps), probably that made me more proactive.
A hint of swing and nip (off the surface), as it happens here under lights, they bowled beautifully to exploit that. It would have been nice if it was a chanceless knock, but I had my chances, to make the most of it tonight was something I can be proud of. Amazing, after the first two games, people were quick to write us off. The belief was always there (as a team), after today, it would have gone a bit higher.”
Here are the moments after Maxwell’s miraculous double century:
