It was one of those nights when people saw something like a shooting star, but it was Glenn Maxwell who was shooting the deliveries into the stands without moving his feet. Australia were 91-7, and no one could have thought that Afghanistan would be losing this one. Well, how can one? When they havedelivered the biggest of upsets in the last month. But if there was someone who could get the Aussies over the line, it was Glenn Maxwell.
It was indeed scintillating to see Maxwell pulling off that win for the Australian team. Some people who have witnessed the most famous knock of 175 of the 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev would still reckon that it was the greatest innings, but those who haven’t been a part of that knock and witnessed the ‘Big Show’ today, will remember this knock to tell their kids in the coming years.
What makes Maxwell’s 201* run knock so special?
Despite knowing what Maxwell did today, is what he is known for, this knock is special for numerous reasons. Firstly, this inning is being played while chasing. On the ground where 281 was the highest target that was chased in the history of ODI cricket, Glenn Maxwell’s 201 helps the Kangaroos chase 291 with more than three remaining.
Second, being seven down for 91, it was nothing short of a miraculous innings from the big man, Maxwell. Third, coming back from a minor injury with the pressure of chasing a mammoth total with seven down for not even 100 runs, Maxwell not only had to stay and hold one end, but score loads of runs, which he did superbly and that too in a high-magnitude World Cup game.
Lastly, the amount of pain he was in, he wasn’t even able to move his feet, and running wasn’t even an option for him because of the cramps. Every time he moved his foot, he felt a cramp. From seconds away from going off the field to Maxwell deciding to stay in the middle and giving his 200 percent and eventually scored 200.
Who said you need a team performance to win games? Not all times, when Glenn Maxwell is on your side, especially then. Apart from the Big Show, some credit goes to Pat Cummins as well, he held one end playing a gritty knock of 12 off 68 deliveries, as he knew that his mate, if he stayed, would win it for them.
With this exceptional, historic and greatest ODI knock of Glenn Maxwell, the Aussies have not only won the game but also sealed a spot in the semifinals.
Catches win matches, they say, and Afghanistan would have felt that. Maxwell was on 33 when Mujeeb dropped his catch, and then he did not look back. If not the greatest innings in the history of ODI cricket, it was an inning that not only Maxwell, but all the Aussies will cherish for a long time.
