Glenn Maxwell’s jaw-dropping double-century has taken the cricketing world by storm as many have called it the best ODI innings of all time. The Aussie all-rounder produced a special knock to deliver Australia’s sixth successive victory against Afghanistan at the World Cup in India. His 201-run knock has sparked reactions from several former and current cricketers, and even his wife Vini Maxwell. Vini was present at the Wankhede Stadium to support her husband in a crucial game for his country. During Australia’s batting, she first put up an Instagram story congratulating her husband on his ODI ton followed by another story celebrating his double hundred. In her post, she also wrote, “All the emotions.”
The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai witnessed a magical night on November 7 as Australia beat Afghanistan by three wickets in an epic comeback to secure a semi-final spot. At the end of the toss, the five-time World Cup champs found themselves to be on the bowling side. The Aussies seemed to lack their usual bowling flare as Afghanistan went on to smash 291 runs while losing only five wickets in the innings. Ibrahim Zadran made World Cup history by becoming the first Afghan to score a World Cup ton. In the second innings, things looked dire for Australia as the side lost early wickets and were seven wickets down at 91 runs in only the 19th over. That is when Glenn Maxwell stepped up for his side to stand and deliver a favourable result for his team.
Maxwell stitched a formidable partnership with Pat Cummins to anchor the innings for Australia. After completing his century, Maxwell was seen limping for his 147th run which was also the 35th single of his innings. The Aussie all-rounder appeared to have pulled a hamstring while hitting a shot. His muscles cramped and spasmed as their physiotherapist Nick Jones explained to Maxwell that he might not be able to get back on the field if he walked off.
Adam Zampa had already made his way from the changing room to replace the cricketer on the pitch but Maxwell decided that it wasn’t going to happen. Fighting through the pain, he remained on the pitch and smashed a whopping 201 runs in only 128 balls. The Aussie power hitter belted an astonishing 21 boundaries and 10 maximums in the game, winning the match for his team on just one foot. He became the first Australian batter to smash a double century at a World Cup while also breaking a plethora of other records.
With their historic win at Wankhede, Australia seemed to have turned the tides around having beaten teams including Pakistan, New Zealand and England. They are the third team to qualify for the knockout phase after India and South Africa. Australia will play Bangladesh next at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on November 11.
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