On Wednesday, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell delivered “an incredibly special knock” that propelled New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s team into the World Cup semi-finals.
After faltering at 91-7, Maxwell battled through discomfort, including cramps and back spasms, to reach an undefeated 201 as Australia pursued their victory target of 292.
In Mumbai on Tuesday, Maxwell and captain Pat Cummins, who scored a meagre 12, put on 202 for the eighth wicket to send Afghanistan reeling.
“An incredibly special knock,” Williamson told reporters on the eve of their match against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
“Not just the runs specifically but the situation. He was clearly struggling physically and to be able to pull that off and in a partnership with Pat Cummins is without a doubt one of the great World Cup victories for Australia and probably for any team to witness.”
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran struck an unbeaten 129 to become the first player from his country to hit a World Cup century in his team’s 291-5.
The bowlers then had Australia on the ropes before Maxwell single-handedly took the match away from the Afghans.
“At the same time, a tough one for Afghanistan. They’ve been excellent and probably won sort of 80-90 percent of that game,” said Williamson.
“As we know in white ball cricket, it can change quickly. And that was an amazing example of that and a special knock to watch.”
Pakistan, Afghanistan, and New Zealand are in a three-way race for the final spot in the semi-finals.
They are now fourth in the standings, after Australia, South Africa, and India, who have already qualified.
