Glenn Maxwell batted like a man possessed. Struggling with cramps, with minimal foot movement, he backed his strength, the hand-eye coordination to decimate the Afghanistan bowling lineup. While Pat Cummins just went on a blockathon instead of taking chances and hitting boundaries, Maxwell did the heavy lifting with boundaries all around the park. From brute force to unorthodox cheeky shots, the knock featured them all. At one point, the win predictor showed that Australia had a 0.46 per cent chance of winning the match but Maxwell proved it wrong with his ‘never give up’ attitude.
The first-ever double century in an ODI run chase left the cricketing fraternity beyond impressed. In awe of an unbelievable performance, Sachin Tendulkar to Gautam Gambhir, everyone lauded the ‘Big Show’ for putting on a never-seen-before show at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
“It was hot while fielding today, I haven't done a lot of exercise in the heat, it got a hold on me today. I wanted to stay back and get some movement (on my legs). Not too much (when asked about plans at 92/7), just stick to the batting plans as much as possible, for me, still be positive, still look to play my shots, that LBW, it was going just above (the stumps), probably that made me be more proactive,” Maxwell said in the post-match presentation.
“A hint of swing and nip (off the surface), as it happens here under lights, they bowled beautifully to exploit that. It would have been nice if it was a chanceless knock, but I had my chances, to make the most of it tonight was something I can be proud of. Amazing, after the first two games, people were quick to write us off. The belief was always there (as a team), after today, it would have gone a bit higher.”
Cummins struggled for words to describe Maxwell's knock which he witnessed from the best seat in the stadium, the non-striker's end.
“Ridiculous. Don't know how to describe it. Great win! It has got to be the greatest thing that has ever happened. One of those days people will say yeah, I was at the stadium for this game. He (Maxwell) was great, he was calm. He always had a plan. Even from 200 behind to be able to win the game that way, it was really special,” Cummins said after Australia’s three-wicket win that sealed their semi-final spot.
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