Often in sports, amidst the roars of the crowd and the indulgent atmosphere that it creates, there comes a fleeting moment of transcendence, watching the athletes confront their physical limits and then surpass those boundaries in pursuit of their goal. And it is at that moment you might ponder — “Did I just witness that?”
November 7, 2023, gave us one such moment. The architect was none other than ‘The Big Show’ Glenn Maxwell, reminding us that in the human spirit, there exists a reservoir of endless resolve. A resolve so strong that you end up pulling off miracles, end up doing the unthinkable, end up creating history, end up doing something utterly ridiculous.
But before we get into Maxwell’s Mumbai Mayhem, let’s dial back a bit.
Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
In cricket, one enduring debate always lingers – who/which surpasses the rest? Whether a player, a knock or a spell; there’s always that comparison. Yet, there comes a time when one stands head and shoulders above the rest and these comparisons stop making sense.
For the longest time, the greatest ODI knock remained a myth, and it still is to this day. Because not many had the privilege to see it. June 18, 1983, Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, the Cricket World Cup bore witness to a remarkable performance, and with no camera crew on hand to cover the spectacle, it seems part of a folklore.
Kapil Dev, the captain of the Indian side that would eventually stun two-time Champions West Indies a week later to claim the World Cup, hit a whirlwind 175 not out off 138 balls, coming into bat when his team was tottering at 17/5. It is a knock that is held in high regard, despite there being more significant knocks in ODI cricket in the following years.
From that day at Tunbridge Wells till today, 4484 ODIs have been played, 2028 centuries have been scored – 11 of them being double hundreds and all of them coming in the last two decades. The latest entrant to that list is Maxwell’s 201* coming off 128 balls vs Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. And it is a knock that rivals Dev’s 175.
Maxwell strode to the crease with Australia at a precarious 49/4 at the Wankhede, facing a daunting target of 292 against Afghanistan. An unfortunate mix-up with Marnus Labhuscghane further compounded their troubles, and by the 19th over, Australia had plunged to a dire 91/7. Maxwell, at 22 runs from 26 balls, was partnered by skipper Pat Cummins. Afghanistan’s team exuded confidence and joy, while the partisan Wankhede crowd seemed to favour the underdogs.
Early in the piece, Maxwell overturned the on-field umpire’s LBW decision on review when on 27, and was later dropped at the short fine leg by Mujeeb ur Rahman on 33 while attempting a sweep. It would prove to be a costly drop as alongside Cummins, Maxwell started to ease into the pitch, and understanding the nature of it, started to free his arms – he was beaten a few times but grew in confidence with each boundary. He reverse-swept Noor Ahmad while playing out Rashid Khan with respect. His first 50 took him 53 balls.
READ: ‘That Made Me More Proactive..’: Glenn Maxwell Reveals Turning Point From 201-run Knock Against Afghanistan
Then the gears shifted. Noor was tonked for two back-to-back sixes – two classical Maxwell swings taking the left leg out of the way and big hits towards midwicket. Mujeeb’s over was taken for a six and four – good old golf swing followed by a full-blooded slash in front of the square. By the time Maxwell got to his triple-figure mark, he had consumed only 21 balls for his second fifty.
These were ominous signs for Afghanistan and that began to weigh heavily on the players – shoulders started to droop. The once-vociferous Afghan supporters now wore expressions of palpable tension.
But Maxwell had problems of his own. Batting on 109, with Australia still needing 97 runs to win, Maxwell developed back spasms and hamstring niggles. But he was not going to let that affect his knock; with each of his cross-batted shots, he grimaced in pain yet fought through it. With unbelievable timing, he continued to find the boundary and took down Afghanistan’s most experienced bowler Mohammad Nabi with precision. Remarkable was the power he generated with his wrists in the absence of his hip movement or legs to power his shots and access areas he generally would with his sweeps and slog sweeps.
Cummins, at the other end, batted quietly consolidating the partnership. By the time Hashmatullah Shahidi brought back Rashid Khan to buy a wicket, Maxwell’s range of motion had been restricted, and running between the wickets became a tedious task. Standing on one leg he dispatched Rashid over long-off and then took down Naveen ul Haq standing in his crease with ridiculous ease.
But the pain on his face was visible and when the opportunity of a run presented, he could barely make the other end. And in all this, his third fifty came in only 30 deliveries. By this time, Maxwell had stopped running and dealt in boundaries. Go big or Go bust!
In the 40th over, Maxwell in a bid to farm strike took off for a single, but ended up on his back with his entire body cramping up. Adam Zampa was on standby to walk in, but Maxwell fought through, pushing the boundaries of pain, and stood up to go again. In the 44th over of the innings – Shahidi brought back Azmatullah Omarzai – the man who had picked two wickets early on – for this third spell hoping to get rid of Maxwell with pace, but the Big Show executed the most remarkable shot, which only he could – a reverse lap for six with a stiff back and cramping legs. Shahidi had a look of resignation after that shot – Australia were still 40-odd runs away from the target, but the Afghans had given up at this point.
From there on, it was Maxwell standing tall and still, and whacking the ball to all parts of the ground much to the bewilderment of the Afghanistan team and to the astonishment of the Wankhede crowd and fans watching on screen alike. It reached a point where it became scarcely believable what Maxwell was executing. Cricket is not supposed to be this easy, but he was making it look so. A flurry of 6, 6, 4, 6 took Australia to the unlikeliest of victories, booking a semifinal berth in the process.
READ: ‘Greatest Thing That has Ever Happened’: Australian Skipper Pat Cummins Lauds Glenn Maxwell’s Match-winning Innings Against Afghanistan
This was an inning that defied all logic, and all reason and pushed the boundaries of human resolve. Maxwell had one good working leg, half a back to lean on, yet orchestrated a remarkable win fueled by pure adrenaline – The Big Show, just put on the Biggest Show.
Maxwell’s 201* will go down in history as one of the greatest ODI knocks, if not the greatest. It took 40 years to eclipse Tunbridge Wells; how many more will it now take to outshine the ‘Mumbai Mayhem’?
As for Maxwell, he broke a plethora of records and after hitting the winning shot stood firm, wearing a satisfied look on his face. With arms raised aloft, he seemed to question the awe-struck Wankhede crowd, maiming the iconic lines of Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the 2000 film ‘Gladiator’:
“Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”
Comments
0 comment