World Cup 2023: Glenn Maxwell’s innings was ‘stuff of legends’, says Wasim Akram

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram reckons Glenn Maxwell’s innings was the stuff of legends. Maxwell played arguably the best ODI knocks of all time as he scored 201 runs off just 128 balls with the help of 21 fours and 10 sixes.

Australia was in all sorts of trouble at 91-7 and at that stage, their win probability was less than 1%, according to ESPN Cricinfo. However, Maxwell kept playing aggressively to find regular boundaries.

Maxwell broke many records in his match-winning knock as he batted at his absolute best. Maxwell’s 201 is Australia’s highest individual score (their first double-century in ODIs) and also the team’s highest run-chase in World Cup history.

In fact, Maxwell had the rub of the green on his side as he dropped on 33 by Mujeeb ur Rahman at short fine leg. However, Maxwell took Afghanistan bowlers to the cleaners and battled cramps to play one of the best ODI innings ever.

“One-man show, stuff of the legends. There is a saying, one guy can’t win you a game and obviously what an absolute lie. You have to have heart, to keep on playing despite having cramps. They are very very painful and they do not get away,” Akram said on A Sports.

Maxwell brought his century off just 76 balls and scored the second-fastest double hundred off just 128 balls. The right-hander added 202 runs (the highest for the seventh wicket or below) with skipper Pat Cummins, and the latter contributed only 12 runs whereas Maxwell scored 179 runs in the alliance.

“You have to credit the captain as well. When you talk about situation awareness, that what exactly what he did. 12 runs off 68 balls, he was giving the strike to his main player and he (Maxwell) showed the world, that he is the best one day player right now in world cricket. This is unbelievable, I have never heard of this kind of knock before. I have played cricket for 20 years, worked in cricket for another 20 years and I have never seen anything like this before,” Akram said on Cummins and Maxwell’s innings.

Australia will play their last league stage match against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Saturday.