Afghanistan: 291/5 in 50 overs
Australia: 293/7 in 46.5 overs
Result: Australia won by 3 wickets
Incredible, superhuman, unimaginable—have these words ever felt too light as adjectives? That must have been the feeling after watching Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten innings of 201 off 128 balls against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In an innings where records are broken, batsman's footwork or footwork is out of the dictionary. When incredible business has become ridiculously accessible, the unimaginable has happened instantly! At one time, it seemed that Maxwell was playing alone on the field, and everyone else was just watching!
After 7 wickets fell for 91 runs, Australia's chances of winning this match were drowning in the Arabian Sea next to Wankhede, Afghanistan was indicating to cheapen the word 'unhappened' once again. Maxwell, who came at number six, had to handle the hat-trick ball, who was not in the previous match and fell into a strange concussion! No team has batted so much in the World Cup He had never won a match by losing so many wickets for so few runs. Maxwell from there added a record 202 runs in ODIs with Pat Cummins in an unbroken eighth wicket partnership, where the Australian captain contributed 12 runs from 68 balls!
Maxwell played with leg cramps immediately after the century, stayed away from taking singles, was playing shots without moving his legs! Tenth batsman Adam Zampa came down the Wankhede dressing room stairs several times to get off, but Maxwell did not. Afghanistan took a first-ball lbw review against him, which actually hit his bat. Hashmatullah Shahidi took his fairly difficult catch for 26 runs, Mujeeb ur Rehman could not take the easiest catch for 33 runs, before that he was caught walking as lbw for 30 runs even after reviewing! But to survive that phase, Maxwell had the good fortune to help him. But on this night Maxwell actually defied fate. It was as if something was weighing on him.
Maxwell could not move: AFP
He scored 51 runs in 51 balls, it took only 25 balls to make the next 50. He scored the next 100 runs off just 52 balls. However, this statistic can't really explain, he didn't take singles ball after ball, he couldn't really move his legs. However, he played all the strange shots, his wrists became tight! Sometimes the celebration is done by filling the single feet! Once in Australia Disappointment was evident in the dressing room, then it took the form of a classroom of schoolchildren, when the teacher is not there! But still Australia is quite far from victory. But Maxwell's innings was progressing in such a way that there was no other option but to enjoy it. The body language of the Afghans was also saying, they are a bit fascinated!
For a long time it was Afghanistan vs Maxwell, after a while it turned into Maxwell vs muscle pull. Afghans knew they were 1 wicket away from victory. But Navin-ul-Haq, who took a poisonous movement from the Wankhede wicket in floodlights, Azmatullah Omarzai, who suddenly became the king of swing and stood in front of a hat-trick, Mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rehman, right-arm wrist spinner Rashid Khan or left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed, breakthrough specialist off-spinner Mohammad Nabi—none of them could deliver that wicket.
Australia needed 21 runs off the last 24 balls, Maxwell scored the first ball of Mujeeb's 47th over. Then - six, six, four, six. In the last of which Maxwell became the first Australian batsman and the first batsman to score a double century in the run chase. The highest individual score of six or less in ODIs was Kapil Dev's 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, which Maxwell had already surpassed. To Mujib If you don't surpass it in the greatness of the innings with that six, you will touch it! While Kapil's innings was not shown on television, Maxwell played an innings when live streaming is now the norm beyond television and also on the internet. Those who have seen it will definitely remember it forever. And those who have not seen, they will be fascinated by the story!
Maxwell after winning the match: AFP
But the day was historic for Afghanistan. On this day, the first Afghan batsman got a century in the World Cup! Ibrahim Zadran's 129-run innings, Rashid Khan's 18-ball 35-run cameo at the end saw Afghanistan post 291 runs. Australia has never won the World Cup by chasing so many runs. After falling for 7 wickets for 91 runs, it seemed like a distant fantasy.
But when Maxwell becomes something bigger than superhuman, unimaginable events will happen. How will you find the adjective incredible to be light then?
0 Comments