‘Just ridiculous’: Glenn Maxwell double ton is ‘greatest innings ever’

Australia was almost dead and buried at 7/91 chasing 292 against Afghanistan before Glenn Maxwell delivered an innings for the cricket gods.

Maxi, we forgive you for the golf cart.

After missing Australia’s last World Cup game with injury after a mishap on the golf course, Glenn Maxwell smashed a matchwinning 201 not out in a knock for the ages against Afghanistan in a World Cup thriller that took the five-time champions into the semi-finals.

Maxwell picked up the pieces from 7/91 in Australia’s victory target of 292, putting on an unbeaten stand of 202 for the eighth wicket with skipper Pat Cummins, who made 12, to achieve victory with 19 balls to spare.

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“Maxi was just out of this world. It’s got to be the greatest ODI innings that has ever happened,” Cummins said post-match.

“Just ridiculous. I don’t know how you describe that.”

“This is the greatest ODI innings ever. It might be the greatest innings of any kind ever,” added former England captain Michael Vaughan on the BBC.

Dropped on 33, Maxwell made Afghanistan pay with an astounding 128-ball innings featuring 21 fours and 10 sixes as he became just the third batsman after New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and West Indies’ Chris Gayle to score a World Cup double century.

Are you not entertained? (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The list of records Maxwell broke on Wednesday morning is insane:

— The highest score in an ODI run chase

— Highest score at No.5 or lower

— First ever 200-run score in run chase

— Highest score for an Australian batter in an ODI

— Second Fastest 200 in an ODI

Maxwell ended the match in style with nearly three overs to spare when he slammed Mujeeb for another six.

The 35-year-old Maxwell’s highest one-day international score was just his fourth century in 136 matches at this level, but second of the tournament after he scored the fastest hundred in men’s World Cup history, off just 40 balls, against the Netherlands.

Australia captain Pat Cummins was 12 not out but played his part by holding firm in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 202.

“I couldn’t get on strike! I just let Maxi do his thing, how am I going to say anything to someone batting like that?” Cummins said.

There was one more twist late on in a dramatic encounter when Maxwell, on 146, suffered a violent attack of cramp as he hobbled through for a single.

But following on-field treatment a still-struggling Maxwell continued to pulverise Afghanistan’s attack with a dazzling array of shots.

Maxwell (bottom) is helped by Pat Cummins after cramping. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

“Horrific, I feel shocking,” Maxwell said after his innings. “It was quite hot when we were fielding, I haven’t done a whole lot of high intensity exercise in the heat. It got a hold of me today, I was lucky to stick it out until the end.

“Everyone wrote us off after two losses, we’ve won six in a row now and I hope that belief passes around our changing rooms.”

The cricketing world, including icon Scahin Tendulkar were blown away by Maxwell’s innings.

“From Max pressure to Max performance! This has been the best ODI knock I’ve seen in my life,” Tendulkar posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

English captain Ben Stokes shared a comment on X that included stunned-face emojis, writing: “My goodness Maxi”.

Afghanistan, despite this defeat, remain in last-four contention but they will need to beat second-placed South Africa and hope other results go their way to qualify for the knockout phase.

“Really disappointed. Cricket is a funny game, it was unbelievable,” Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said.

It had seemed the night would belong to Ibrahim Zadran, whose 129 not out in a total of 5/291 was the first hundred by an Afghanistan batsman at a World Cup.

Thar left Australia needing to better their previous highest winning score to win a World Cup match of 287 against New Zealand in a 1996 quarter-final in Chennai.

But opener Travis Head fell for a duck, caught behind off a superb Naveen-ul-Haq delivery that seamed away sharply, with the paceman also having Mitchell Marsh lbw for 24.

Australia’s 2/43 then became 4/49 as Omarzai struck with successive deliveries, clean bowling veteran opener David Warner following the left-hander’s ugly heave across the line before Josh Inglis edged to first slip.

Australia's Glenn Maxwell gestures after a muscle cramp. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

What a partnership. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

Maxwell survived the hat-trick, nicking short of wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil.

Australia was 5/69 when a mix-up with Maxwell saw Marnus Labuschagne run out by Rahmat Shah’s direct hit from mid-wicket before leg-spinner Rashid Khan removed Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc as the crowd roared Afghanistan on.

But then came Maxwell’s big reprieve, with Australia 7/112.

Earlier, opener Zadran took Afghanistan to their highest World Cup total as they topped their 288 they made against the West Indies at Headingley in 2019.

Australia initially kept Afghanistan in check after losing the toss, albeit they struggled for wickets with Zadran completing his fifth hundred in 27 ODIs, off 131 balls, including seven fours.

Zadran, however, accelerated after going to three figures with Rashid making a dashing 35 not out during a quickfire unbroken stand of 58.

– with AFP