Maxwell 201* brings dwelling the Australian miracle and a spot within the World Cup semi-final
Australia 293 for 7 (Maxwell 201*, Rashid 2-44) beat Afghanistan 291 for five (Ibrahim 129*, Rashid 35*, Hazlewood 2-39) by three wickets
At one level, Australia have been 91 for 7 chasing 292. Then Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwelled his solution to a double-century and never solely did they win the sport, additionally they sealed their place within the World Cup semi-finals.
After Ibrahim Zadran grew to become Afghanistan’s first-ever centurion in World Cups, Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai shredded Australia’s high order as they threatened to script a well-known win on the Wankhede. But Maxwell intervened with a sensational 201 not out, 179 of which have been scored in an unbroken 202-run partnership along with his captain Pat Cummins, to flip the script. The outcome confirmed Australia’s place within the last 4, together with hosts India and South Africa, and left Afghanistan heart-broken.
The chase wasn’t the one factor that obtained tighter and tighter in direction of the tip. Maxwell, having fielded the 50 overs within the Mumbai warmth, started cramping up badly. It was his legs. They’d simply stopped working. He appeared in agonising ache within the forty first over, prompting the subsequent batter, the No. 10, Adam Zampa to attend by the boundary-line whereas the physio patched him as much as preserve him going.
And go he did. Batting with out ever transferring his ft, Maxwell saved clobbering sixes till he introduced dwelling the Australian miracle. Two-hundred and one unbeatean runs in simply 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes. It was one of many all-time nice ODI innings.
Maxwell had walked in to face Omarzai’s hat-trick ball within the ninth over, when Australia have been 49 for 4 in pursuit of 292. He was then concerned in a mix-up, which value Australia the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 14. When Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc fell quickly after, leaving Australia at 91 for 7, the sport appeared finished. Except it wasn’t. Maxwell soldiered on and Cummins caught to him limpet-like, contributing simply 12 runs (off 68 balls) to a double-century partnership.
With 21 wanted off the ultimate 4 overs for Australia’s win and Maxwell’s double-hundred, he went 6,6,4,6 in opposition to Mujeeb Ur Rahman to supply the double coup de grâce.
Mujeeb may’ve minimize Maxwell’s innings brief on 33 had he not dropped a sitter at brief effective. Maxwell then went about doing Maxwell issues. He mowed Noor Ahmad over midwicket. He shanked Mujeeb over his head and carted Mohammed Nabi over midwicket too. The reverse-sweep and different trick pictures have been additionally on show in Mumbai as he surged to 100 off 76 balls. He then wanted simply 52 balls for his second hundred. At the opposite finish, Cummins defended resolutely. That was all he wanted to do.
Rashid Khan was the one Afghanistan bowler to flee the one-man wrecking crew that was Maxwell. Afghanistan had picked 4 spinners for this match, but it surely was Naveen and Omarzai who inflicted extreme injury on Australia’s chase. They bowled Test-match strains and lengths, and swung the brand new ball each methods, underneath lights. Naveen first ripped out Travis Head with an outswinger earlier than pinning Mitchell Marsh lbw with an inswinger. Naveen may’ve additionally dismissed David Warner on 4 had Rahmat Shah not dropped a tough probability at gully. Warner added 14 to his tally earlier than Omarzai floored his off stump with an inswinger.
Omarzai is barely 23 and was enjoying his twentieth ODI, however he is so skillful that he can assemble Warner’s dismissal. After hitting a tough size and bowling a maiden to Warner, he went fuller and stormed by his defences. Having bossed the powerplay throughout his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) stint earlier within the 12 months, Omarzai confirmed the broader world that he may do the job in worldwide cricket too. The subsequent ball was an outswinger to Josh Inglis, who edged to first slip. The subsequent ball was one other outswinger, however Maxwell denied Omarzai the hat-trick and the remainder is now historical past.
After ending off three profitable chases in a row, Afghanistan may need had a temptation to do the identical on Tuesday. But Hashmatullah Shahidi resisted that and backed his batters to place runs on the board on a barely atypical Wankhede observe, which was on the drier facet. Ibrahim led the way in which and batted by the innings on a scorching afternoon to remain unbeaten on 129 off 143 balls. The spotlight of his innings was a ramped 4 off Cummins within the 14th over. Later within the slog overs, he together with Rashid, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls, laid into Australia’s assault. Ibrahim and Rashid smashed 58 collectively off simply 27 balls to carry Afghanistan to 291, however their pleasure changed into disbelief after which helplessness within the night time.