Australia’s star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell achieved a historic double-century, securing a memorable 3-wicket victory for Australia in the 38th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Afghanistan in Mumbai on a Tuesday. With this win, Australia became the 3rd team to qualify for the semi-finals. 

Talking about the match, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Zadran forming a steady opening partnership, adding 38 runs. However, their momentum was halted by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who dismissed Gurbaz after his 21-run contribution. Despite this early setback, Zadran and Rahmat Shah joined forces, crafting an impressive 83-run partnership for the third wicket. Rahmat scored 30 runs from 44 balls before being removed by Glenn Maxwell.

Shortly after, Mitchell Starc sent skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi back to the pavilion with 26 runs to his name. In the 43rd over, Adam Zampa added to Australia’s success by dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai, who had scored 22 runs from 18 balls. As the innings progressed, Hazlewood returned to take the wicket of Mohammad Nabi, who managed 12 runs from 10 balls, further challenging Afghanistan’s progress.

Nonetheless, Zadran continued to anchor the innings, leading Afghanistan’s fight against the Australian bowling attack. In addition to Zadran’s resilience, Rashid Khan made a valuable contribution, scoring an unbeaten 35 runs from 18 deliveries, significantly boosting Afghanistan’s total in the final overs. Despite the obstacles, Afghanistan posted a competitive score.

Magnificent batting performance by Glenn Maxwell

Chasing the target, Travis Head was dismissed for a duck and Mitchell Marsh trapped LBW, courtesy of Naveen-ul-Haq. Azmatullah Omarzai then claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, leaving Australia at 49/4. Glenn Maxwell, initially struggling, received a reprieve when Hashmatullah Shahidi couldn’t reach a miscued shot, and an LBW review went in his favour against a Noor Ahmed delivery that was predicted to go over the stumps.

However, Maxwell’s luckiest break came when Mujeeb Ur Rahman dropped a straightforward catch at short fine leg. The rest of the match belonged to Maxwell, who smashed a historic double century and formed a 202-run partnership with Pat Cummins, who contributed just 12 runs. This partnership led Australia to a thrilling 3-wicket victory with 3.1 overs to spare.

Here’s how fans reacted:

Probably the greatest innings in cricket ever

— Dhruv Kanal (@dhruvkanal) November 7, 2023

First batsman to score double hundred while chasing in ODI

— Cricket Guruji  (@CricketGuruji6) November 7, 2023

Best innings in history of cricket full stop🔥

— Manu (@virat_facts) November 7, 2023

We just witnessed the best innings of the history, just wow omg 😳😳😳😳😳

— Saumya Tripathi (@SanskariSaumyat) November 7, 2023

https://twitter.com/Abubakar1572021/status/1721932063664947576

https://twitter.com/saqibkhan_10/status/1721932120136798364

The most astonishing runs chase 🔥

— Abdullah majid 🇵🇰 (@abdullah_hmajid) November 7, 2023

Take a bow Maxwell

— Mukul (@mukuljakhar07) November 7, 2023