Australia Batted 293 for 7 (Maxwell 201*, Rashid 2-44). Afghanistan 291 for 5 (Ibrahim 129*, Rashid 35*, Hazlewood 2-39) by three wickets
At one point Australia were 91 for 7 and trailing by 292. Then Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell made his way to a double century and they not only won the game but also secured their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup. After Ibrahim Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanistan’s first centurion at World Cups, destroyed Australia’s top ranking as they threatened to score a famous victory at the Wankhede. But Maxwell intervened and flipped the script with a sensational 201 not out, 179 of which came in an unbroken 202-run partnership with his captain Pat Cummins. The result confirmed Australia’s place in the last four along with hosts India and South Africa and left Afghanistan heartbroken.
It wasn’t just the chase that got tighter towards the end. After completing the 50 overs in the Mumbai heat, Maxwell developed severe cramps. It was his legs. They had simply stopped working. In the 41st over, he appeared to be in excruciating pain, prompting the next batsman, No. 10 Adam Zampa, to wait on the boundary line while the physiotherapist attended to him to keep him going.
And he did it. Maxwell batted without ever moving his feet and kept hitting sixes until he brought home the Australian wonder. Two hundred and one unbeaten runs in just 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes. It was one of the greatest ODI innings of all time.
Maxwell had faced Omarzai’s hat-trick ball in the ninth over as Australia were 49 for 4 in pursuit of 292. He was then involved in a mix-up which cost Australia the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 14. When Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc fell soon after, leaving Australia at 91 for 7, the game appeared to be over. But that wasn’t it. Maxwell continued to struggle and Cummins stuck to him like a limpet, contributing just 12 runs (from 68 balls) to a double century partnership.
Needing 21 in the last four overs for Australia’s victory and Maxwell’s double hundred, he edged Mujeeb Ur Rahman with 6,6,4,6 to provide the double coup de grace.
Mujeeb could have reduced Maxwell’s innings to 33 had he not dropped a sitter at short fine. Maxwell then set about doing Maxwell things. He hit Noor Ahmad over midwicket. He hit Mujeeb over his head and also carted Mohammed Nabi over midwicket. The reverse sweep and other trick shots were also on display in Mumbai as he shot to 100 in 76 balls. He then only needed 52 balls for his second hundred. At the other end, Cummins defended resolutely. That was all he had to do.
Rashid Khan was the only Afghan bowler to escape the one-man wrecking team Maxwell. Afghanistan had selected four spinners for this game but it was Naveen and Omarzai who did serious damage to Australia’s chase. They bowled test match lines and lengths and swung the new ball in both directions under lights. Naveen first ripped out Travis Head with an outswinger before pinning Mitchell Marsh lbw with an inswinger. Naveen could have dismissed David Warner at 4 had Rahmat Shah not missed a difficult chance at gully. Warner added 14 to his tally before Omarzai brought down his off-stump with an inswinger.
Omarzai is only 23 and playing his 20th ODI, but he is skilled enough to bring about Warner’s dismissal. After hitting a tough length and bowling Warner for the first time, he got fuller and stormed through his defence. After leading the powerplay during his stint in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) earlier this year, Omarzai showed the world that he can do the job in international cricket too. The next ball was an outside swing to Josh Inglis, who slipped the ball first time. The next ball was another outswinger but Maxwell denied Omarzai a hat-trick and the rest is now history.
After three successful comebacks in a row, Afghanistan may be tempted to do the same on Tuesday. But Hashmatullah Shahidi fought back and helped his batters put runs on the board on a somewhat atypical Wankhede track that was rather drier. Ibrahim led the way on a hot afternoon, battling through the innings to remain unbeaten on 129 off 143 balls. The highlight of his innings was a ramped four against Cummins in the 14th over. Later in the slog overs, he set up Australia’s attack along with Rashid, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls. Ibrahim and Rashid combined to hit 58 off just 27 balls to take Afghanistan to 291, but their joy turned to disbelief and then helplessness on the night.