The amazing performance that Glenn Maxwell put on against Afghanistan is a topic of much discussion among cricket experts and fans. To save his team from a certain defeat and to help them qualify for the Semifinals, the right-handed batter turned in to play one of the best performances in one-day international cricket.
During an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan, Glenn Maxwell created history by hitting a brilliant 201 runs including 21 fours and 10 sixes. The Australian finisher also made history by becoming the first player who did not start an innings to hit a double century in one-day internationals.
Speaking on a podcast with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, Glenn Maxwell spoke in detail about his innings against Afghanistan from facing the hat-trick ball after David Warner and Josh Inglis’s dismissal to construct his innings against the Afghanistan spinners in the middle overs of the game.
“I had nicked it and didn’t believe it didn’t carry to the keeper. I tried to stare blankly and not look guilty. But I saw them running around the batters a lot. I hoped they’d make a couple of emotional decisions, and burn a few reviews early. And if a few close lbw calls went against them, it could take a toll on them and I could start playing on their emotions,”
“Earlier all I did was play one reverse sweep against Noor Ahmad to make sure the deep backward point became a little bit finer, and I knew they had to have mid-off back at some stage. They wouldn’t take mid-wicket out if they wanted to bowl a leggie. So with the sweep, I created a gap on either side of mid-off, both sides of the cover, and over the top. As soon as I got it wide outside off, I could use my hands through gaps. I was setting up even dot ball to get those boundary gaps,” Glenn Maxwell said.
The Australian all-rounder survived a couple of dropped catches, but he made the most of the opportunity in the match. The five-time champions are already guaranteed a spot in the top 4 of the 2023 ODI World Cup points standings and would take on South Africa in the semifinals of the marquee event.
I Have Played Against A Lot Of Sub Continental Teams – Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell believes that Afghanistan had tremendous energy on the field throughout the first 15-20 overs. and stated that his goal was to play some shots in the middle overs to put the pressure back on the opponents, which would influence their tactics on the field.
“The energy that they had in the first 15-20 overs was extraordinary and we have seen that a lot from them. I have played (against) a lot of sub-continental teams and one thing I have always found is that if you could take the sting out of the game, not by runs but by basically being there, you play one or two shots in every couple of overs and you can see how flat it starts to get,” Glenn Maxwell added.
Glenn Maxwell is a hard-hitting middle-order batter and a valuable off-break bowler who offers a great balance to the team. Because of his ability to change the course of the game in any situation, he might be vital to the team’s success in the knockout stages of the tournament.
