(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Those who never witnessed the unbeaten 175-run knock played by the former India captain Kapil Dev in the 1983 World Cup against Zimbabwe surely have now come across the 201-run unbeaten knock played by the Big Show, Glenn Maxwell, against Afghanistan on Tuesday in the 39th match of th ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
If Maxi’s 201* run knock is not greater than Kapil’s 175, then it’s also not insignificant. The magnificent double-century knock by the Australian all-rounder even caught the attention of the legendary India batter Virat Kohli.
Australia, who were chasing 292 runs against Afghanistan on Tuesday, were in a dire situation, having lost seven wickets at a score at 91. The Afghans had already begun celebrations for another upset, but against all odds, with just hands, Maxwell snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His unbeaten innings of 201 runs came in just 128 balls with the help of 21 fours and 10 sixes.
The Australia skipper Pat Cummins also played his part beautifully, remaining not out after playing almost over 11 overs of the entire innings and scoring just 12 runs. Maxwell became the third batter in the history of the ODI World Cups to score a double century after Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle.
That monstrous innings by Maxwell not only led the team to win the match by three wickets but also helped Australia qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing tournament. With his extraordinary hitting, he earned praise from Kohli, who took to his Instagram stories, where he uploaded an image of Maxwell and credited the Aussie as the sole player capable of delivering such a sensational performance.
“Only you could do this. Freak @gmaxi_32,” Kohli wrote.
Notably, this was Australia’s biggest successful chase in World Cup history, surpassing their previous best of 289 runs, which came against New Zealand in Chennai in the quarter-finals of the 1996 World Cup.