At the 2023 Cricket World Cup, Glenn Maxwell struck 201 not out against Afghanistan, which remains his greatest score in an ODI match. This was the greatest score by any player in the second innings of an ODI and the first double hundred in the history of an ODI chase.
Nov. 8, Mumbai (Reuters) – Cricketing greats swiftly acclaimed Glenn Maxwell’s spectacular double-century to defeat Afghanistan in the World Cup as the finest ODI innings ever, even after he overcame a full-body cramp attack.
All-rounder Australian, though, merely found it to be “great fun”.
In Mumbai on Tuesday, Maxwell struck an unbeaten 201 from 128 balls and, by himself, led Australia to an unlikely three-wicket victory that guaranteed their place in the semi-finals.
It was a lot of fun. After joining forces at 91 for seven, he informed reporters of his cooperation with his captain, “It just felt like Patty (Cummins) and I were just having fun out there.”
Most of the time, we were able to keep each other reasonably calm by making jokes.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, they’re four overs down, they’re going to have an extra fielder in for the last four overs,’ when he first came out.
We simply made an effort to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. We simply attempted to unwind with one other as much as we could, even if it wasn’t the best of circumstances.”
Maxwell became the first person to reach 200 during an ODI chase and was the first person in Australia to make two centuries in ODIs.
After Martin Guptill’s 237 not out against the West Indies in 2015 and Chris Gayle’s 219 against Zimbabwe in 2015, he became the third player to score 200 at a World Cup.
Maxwell’s century was dubbed “the greatest ODI innings” by Cummins, and many others, including former England captain Michael Vaughan and former master blaster Adam Gilchrist of Australia, agreed.
Irfan Pathan, a cricket analyst and former all-rounder for India, went one step further and referred to it as the “greatest ever white ball inning” on social media.
Maxwell appeared to have ended his night when, on 147, he took a single and fell to the ground. Lying down, he was tense in both legs and experienced a spasm in his back.
There was discussion about his finishing his inning and perhaps coming back, but the medical personnel cautioned that it might not be possible for him to descend the steps and reach the crease again.
So he decided to keep going, largely using his hands and instincts to crush anything in the zone.
“So that probably made the job a bit more simple,” he stated.
“It wasn’t all just, like, chaotic swinging but there was a bit of planning to it.”
The 35-year-old Melbourne native has had a wild career filled with many amazing experiences, but the World Cup has witnessed “peak Maxwell.”
After recovering from an ankle ailment, he excelled as the second spinner in the opening games before smashing the fastest World Cup century against the Netherlands, reaching his hundred off only 40 balls.
After falling off the back of a golf cart and suffering a concussion, he was sidelined for the match against England but was able to return for the match against Afghanistan.
Australia will meet Bangladesh in Pune on Saturday in their last group round encounter.
Before hobbling off to continue his recuperation, Maxwell jokingly said that everything had gone wrong since his family came to live with him in India.
“These past few weeks have been really strange… It feels fantastic to be in the semi-finals. I hope our three days in Pune are enjoyable,” he stated.