Twitter Reactions: Defiant Glenn Maxwell stuns Afghanistan in Mumbai

The crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai witnessed the record books being shattered as Glenn Maxwell took Australia to the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with his mind-boggling innings on Tuesday, November 07. The 35-year-old played one of the greatest knocks ever in ODI history, scoring 201* (128) as he helped his side chase down 292 in 46.5 overs and defeat Afghanistan by three wickets.

Australia’s chase got off the worst possible as start as they were left reeling at 87/6 after 16.4 overs with Travis Head (0 off 2), David Warner (18 off 29), Mitchell Marsh (24 off 11), Marnus Labuschagne (14 off 28), Josh Inglis (0 off 1) back in the hut cheaply.

However, Glenn Maxwell was in no mood to surrender as he used the chances given by Afghanistan to play a sensational innings and added an unbeaten 202 runs for the eighth wicket with Pat Cummins (12* off 68). As a result, Australia won the match by three wickets and qualified for the semi-final.

Also check: Glenn Maxwell ODI Innings Performance

Earlier in the day, after opting to bat first, Afghanistan got off to a decent start as openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21 off 25) and Ibrahim Zadran added 38 runs for the first wicket off 48 balls. Gurbaz was dismissed by Hazlewood as he hit one straight to Mitchell Starc at deep square leg. After losing his partner, Ibrahim Zadran continued to hold one end and took the innings forward.

Ibrahim Zadran became first batter to score hundred for Afghanistan in ODI WC

At the other end, Rahmat Shah (30 off 44), Hashmatullah Shahidi (26 off 43) and Mohammad Nabi (12 off 10) failed to convert their starts as Australia kept on chipping away with the wickets. However, Zadran went on to etch his name in history books as he became the first centurion in the history of the ODI World Cup for his nation.

He went on to score an unbeaten 129* (143) smashing eight fours and three sixes in his innings. Zadran was well-supported by Rashid Khan (35* off 18) as the duo propelled Afghanistan’s total to 291/5 in their allotted 50 overs.

Meanwhile, X was abuzz with reactions on Australia’s incredible innings. Here are some of the posts: