Afghanistan nearly spoiled Australia’s plans of qualifying for the World Cup 2023 semifinals, but Glenn Maxwell had other ideas. Coming out to bat when his team had lost half of their batters, the 35-year-old smashed an unbeaten double-century to fire the Aussies into the semifinals.
Australia recorded a 3-wicket win courtesy of Maxwell’s unbeaten 201-run knock snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Australia became the third team behind India and South Africa to qualify for the semifinals of the ODI World Cup 2023, leaving New Zealand and Pakistan to fight it out for the fourth and final semis berth.
Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
Chasing a record total of 292, Australian chase lost their way when they slumped to 91/7, but Maxwell played like a man possessed, fighting cramps, and humidity to fight their way into the top four.
Ibrahim Zadran led the way for the Afghan Atlans with the bat, etching his name in the history books when he became the first player from his country to smash a century in the World Cup. But Zadran’s century was eclipsed by Maxwell’s double hundred!
The 21-year-old returned unbeaten at at 129 in just 143 balls including eight boundaries and three sixes. The rest of the batters all played their parts, all the remaining six batsmen got starts and Rashid Khan in particular played a sublime knock of 35 in 18 balls to take Afghanistan to their highest-ever score in World Cup history at 291/5.
Chasing a target of 292 was never going to be a cakewalk even for the Aussies who had won their previous five games in a row, as the pacers dominated the proceedings.
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Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed Travis Head on a two-ball duck to kick-start the proceedings, before Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen combined to reduce the Australian batting lineup to 49/4.
A sharp throw from Rahmat Shah ended Marnus Labuschagne’s inning on 14 even though he was looking promising before Rashid took centre-stage with the ball having shone earlier with the bat. The spin-wizard trapped Marcus Stoinis LBW on six and later got rid of Mitchell Starc as well courtesy of a wonderful diving catch from Ikram Alikhil.
Maxwell had lady luck smiling upon him, he was dropped twice, once he was given LBW and the man himself started walking only to see the ball going over the wickets in the DRS replays.
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There was no turning back for him after that, finding boundaries on one leg, barely able to run across the 22 yards, Adam Zampa nearly came out to bat at one stage when Maxwell fell flat on the ground due to cramps.
He kept fighting though, picked himself up and mauled the Afghanistan bowlers with a knock for the ages.
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