Glenn Maxwell, who was reeling under cramps, defied all odds to pull a victory out of nowhere for Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan on November 7. He remained unbeaten on a knock of 201 runs.
His inning came off 128 balls, and comprised 21 fours and 10 sixes. He became the first-ever Australian batter to hit a double-hundred in a World Cup game.
In his post-match comments, the star all-rounder said he “was very lucky” to survive the initial phase of his inning, when the Afghan side dropped two of his catches.
Maxwell’s first catch was dropped by Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, followed by a simpler catch put down by spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rehman.
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This was followed by Maxwell almost walking back when the on-field umpire had given him out leg before, when he was in his mid-30s. However, a DRS call ended up saving his wicket, and eventually the match for Australia.
“I was very lucky. I wish this inning could have been chanceless. I was given a couple of chances and I had to make the most out of it,” Maxwell said.
At one stage, Australia were down at 91/7, staring at a likely huge defeat against Afghanistan. However, Maxwell stitched a 200-run partnership with skipper Pat Cummins to turn the game around.
“I was trying to remain positive and attack the bad balls. I had to jump on the chances that I got,” he said.
Fans were flabbergasted by Maxwell’s heroic inning at Wankhede. Cricketing experts also hailed him for single-handedly changing the result of the high-stake match. Here are some of the prominent reactions: