Congratulations poured online in after Glenn Maxwell hit 201* against Afghanistan in one of the greatest comeback knocks to seal Australia’s place in the semi-final of the World Cup 2023.

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Defeat looked inevitable for Australia when they lost their seventh wicket for just 91 runs while chasing Afghanistan’s target of 292. Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets in as many balls and Marnus Labuschagne fell to a calamitous runout as the top and middle-order collapsed.

Maxwell, who witnessed much of the collapse from the non-striker’s end, remained the only beacon of hope for Australia. He was dropped on 33 by Mujeeb Ur Rahman off Noor Ahmad’s bowling. Rising to the occasion, he battled through cramps to smash an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls, single-handedly taking his team over the line to secure a semi-final berth. Maxwell scored the lion’s share of runs (179) during his 202-run stand with skipper Pat Cummins, who took a rearguard action, contributing 12 runs off 68 balls.

The cramps restricted Maxwell’s movements soon after he reached his fourth ODI ton, forcing him to rely on boundaries. He would often hobble for singles to keep the strike at the end of an over. Afghanistan watched in disbelief as Maxwell launched 21 fours and 10 sixes – many of them while playing from the crease and on one leg – to seal a heist for the five-time World Champions.

Maxwell became the first double-centurion in an ODI run-chase. He also beat Andrew Strauss’ 158 against India in 2011 to become the owner of the highest individual score during a chase in a World Cup match.

Social media were abuzz with the whirlwind knock as many reckoned it to be the greatest ODI innings of all time.

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