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Glenn Maxwell's 201 is probably the greatest one-day innings of all time

He almost single-handedly won the match and earned Australia a place in the World Cup semifinals

Published: Tue 7 Nov 2023, 10:28 PM

  • By
  • Anis Sajan

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Australia's Glenn Maxwell celebrates after winning the match. — AFP

Australia's Glenn Maxwell celebrates after winning the match. — AFP

Glenn Maxwell played the innings of a lifetime to break Afghan hearts.

For a seemingly hopeless position, he almost single-handedly won the match and earned Australia a place in the semifinals.


Maxwell was dropped twice. But this was his night as he made 201 off 128 balls, the first ODI double hundred in a chase.

In the middle of his innings, he was struggling with back spasms and cramps.

But he kept fighting and found a solid partner in skipper Pat Cummins who absorbed the pressure and allowed Maxwell the freedom to play his shots.

It was an incredible sight to see him hit those stupendous shots on one leg.

There were those stunning reverse sweeps which only he could play with such brilliance against pace and spin.

I remember Kapil Dev’s innings of 175 in the 1983 World Cup when India were 5/17 against Zimbabwe.

But this innings by Maxwell, which helped Australia stage a stirring fightback from 91 for seven, is perhaps the greatest knock ever played in a one-day game.

Just last week, he missed the game against England due to a freak injury.

Maxwell could not have hoped for a bigger knock on his return to the playing eleven.

As Harsha Bhogle wrote on X, Maxwell's place is now firmly secured in the game's history.



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