Australia World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting believes that five-time champions will have great belief of winning the championship in India after Glenn Maxwell’s breathtaking knock against Afghanistan. The all-rounder batted exceedingly well in the middle to finish things to help reach the Semifinals of the marquee event.
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 to the ICC, Ricky Ponting was at a loss for words when he praised Glenn Maxwell’s valiant efforts against Afghanistan, calling it one of the most ridiculous knocks he has ever witnessed in the game and drawing comparisons to Ben Stokes’ match-winning knock at Headingley in 2019. He also believes that the victory was crucial for the Australian team to advance to the ODI World Cup semifinals.
“I have been around a lot of games playing and calling and I have never seen anything like that, and I’ll be very surprised if I see anything like that ever again, It was the most remarkable thing you’ve probably ever seen in cricket”.
“Ben Stokes’ Test innings to win it (third Ashes Test in 2019) at Headingley was something that I had never seen before and I think this one goes past that just for the sheer enormity of what it means for the Australian cricket team making the World Cup semi-finals.” Ricky Ponting said
The Australian all-rounder survived a couple of dropped catches, but he made the most of the opportunity in the match. Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins joined forces to pursue 292 after Afghanistan bowlers ran through Australia’s top order and middle order, bringing them down to 91/7 wickets.
Australia Have Got This Knack Of Being Able To Just Win The Big Moments – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting believes that Glenn Maxwell’s courageous actions against Afghanistan could serve as the impetus for Australia to carry on with their winning streak and give them hope for another World Cup victory.
“All the great teams that I’ve played with and all the great teams that I’ve been around have always had that belief that they can win from anywhere, and literally anywhere, even World Cup campaigns that I played in, We had games where we probably shouldn’t have won, but someone was there with that belief to put their hand up and win the game”.
“And that’s what I talk about with Australia in World Cups. They’ve got this knack of being able to just win the big moments and today was a huge moment as they qualify for the World Cup semi-finals now and hopefully onwards and upwards for them.” Ricky Ponting added
Australia is already guaranteed a spot in the top 4 of the 2023 World Cup points standings after their stunning victory over Afghanistan today. With this win, the Pat Cummins-led team is now officially qualified for the semifinals and will face South Africa in the second semifinal of the marquee event.