Glenn Maxwell’s record-breaking double-century that helped Australia combat again to beat Afghanistan and seal a spot within the World Cup semi-finals has been described because the “greatest ODI innings ever”.
The three-time champions, concentrating on 292 for victory, slumped to 91 for seven earlier than turning issues round because of Maxwell’s breathtaking unbeaten 201, which got here off 128 balls and included 21 fours and 10 sixes.
And his innings was made all of the extra extraordinary as a result of he spent a big portion of it in excruciating ache and unable to maneuver as a consequence of cramp.
“Just ridiculous!” Australian captain Pat Cummins instructed Sky Sports.
“It’s got to be the greatest ODI innings that’s ever happened, it’s one of those days where you just go, ‘When that happened, I was here in the stadium’.”
It was with the final of his 10 sixes that the 35-year-old all-rounder wrapped up the win with 19 deliveries to go.
It was the highest-ever rating by an Australian in a one-day worldwide, because the staff achieved the very best profitable ODI run chase on the Wankhede Stadium.
The floor had seen historical past made earlier with Afghanistan recording their maiden World Cup century, Ibrahim Zadran posting an unbeaten 112.
Australia’s reply began badly with Travis Head being dismissed for a duck by Naveen-ul-Haq with solely 4 runs on the board.
And the wickets continued to go as Pat Cummins’ males stumbled to 49 for 4 after Azmatullah Omarzai took the scalps of David Warner and Josh Inglis in consecutive balls.
When Mitchell Starc was ousted – regardless of questions over whether or not the ball had hit his bat – through an outstanding catch from wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil to go away Australia at 91 for seven within the nineteenth over, Afghanistan seemed to be closing in on a well-known victory.
But Maxwell then took centre stage with a surprising show to push Australia to victory.
Having been dropped and survived an lbw enchantment on evaluate, he went on to register boundary after boundary, although at instances he seemed to be in appreciable discomfort and struggling to run.
Able to proceed after receiving remedy on the sector, he subsequently accomplished his double-century – and Australia’s win – in becoming vogue by crashing one more most that took his partnership with Cummins (12) to 202.
Third-placed Australia advance into the final 4, becoming a member of India and South Africa, forward of ending their group matches by enjoying Bangladesh in Pune on Saturday.
Afghanistan stay sixth, with certainly one of them, New Zealand or Pakistan set to make the semi-finals – they face South Africa in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Source: information.sky.com”