Mumbai: Australian cricketer Glen Maxwell put on a spectacular and tenacious display in the match against Afghanistan in the men's ODI World Cup and won a semifinal berth for his team.
Battling severe cramps, he played an extraordinary innings, scoring an unbeaten 201 from 128 balls.
His heroics helped Australia snatch a remarkable three-wicket victory from the brink of defeat against Afghanistan in Match 39 of the World Cup, held at the Wankhede Stadium.
Australia's chase of Afghanistan's 291/5, powered by Ibrahim Zadran's historic century (129 not out off 143 balls) and a quick 35 from Rashid Khan, looked in jeopardy when they were struggling at 91/7 in the 19th over.
However, Maxwell, alongside skipper Pat Cummins, engineered an exceptional 202-run partnership for the 8th wicket. Of these runs, Maxwell scored a jaw-dropping 179, while Cummins remained unbeaten with 12 runs from 68 balls.
Maxwell's innings was a masterclass in resilience as he fought through severe cramps and battled pain. In the 47th over, he smashed an incredible 22 runs off four deliveries, despite being barely able to move. This astonishing effort powered Australia to a dramatic victory.
Their 202-run partnership stands as Australia's highest for the 8th wicket, surpassing the previous record of 119 runs set by Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne against South Africa in 1993-94. It's also just the third double-century partnership in World Cup history and the first in India.
Maxwell finished his unbeaten innings with an astounding 201 runs from 128 deliveries, consisting of 21 boundaries and 10 sixes. This extraordinary performance secured Australia's spot in the semifinals as the third-placed team in the tournament.
Afghanistan can't escape taking some of the blame as they dropped two catches of Maxwell and missed an LBW opportunity. Their inability to capitalise on these chances was costly.
During the early stages of their chase, Australia was in a dire situation, reduced to 87/6 in the 15th over. However, Maxwell's brilliant century, which included some luck, helped them turn the tide. He reached his fifty off 51 deliveries and quickly accelerated, completing his next fifty in just 25 balls.
Maxwell's 16 runs off one over and a crucial six off the next over against Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai made victory attainable. Australia went on to win, reaching the target with only three wickets in hand.
The game had begun with Australia facing early setbacks, losing four wickets in the first powerplay. Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai claimed two wickets each, capitalising on favourable seam conditions.
Maxwell was fortunate to survive an LBW chance on review and two dropped catches early in his innings, but his remarkable effort secured Australia's victory.
Earlier in the day, Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran anchored his team's innings, scoring an unbeaten 129 off 143 balls. This knock was pivotal in Afghanistan's total of 291/5, which proved competitive.
Zadran forged key partnerships during the innings, including an 83-run stand with Rahmat Shah and a 52-run partnership with Hashmatullah Shahidi. The final push for Afghanistan came in the last 10 overs, with Zadran and Rashid Khan's blistering 58-run partnership, adding 75 runs off the final six overs.
This century by Zadran was the first triple-figure score by an Afghan player in the World Cup. However, Afghanistan's hopes of defending their score were dashed as Maxwell's magnificent innings sealed Australia's thrilling victory.