Glenn Maxwell, who was called “careless” by Gavaskar, answers with the fastest World Cup century ever
Maxwell responds to Gavaskar’s criticism of his shot choice against Pakistan by scoring the fastest World Cup century against the Netherlands.
The ICC World Cup 2023 has welcomed Glenn Maxwell. There was no better sight when it finally materialized, even though it took some time. Following a series of low scores in the competition, Australia thrashed the Netherlands 399 for 8 at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday thanks to a brilliant exhibition of strokeplay from Maxwell, who hit the fastest-ever World Cup century off 40 balls. It would be a stretch to say that Maxwell was under pressure going into this game, even if he had scores of 15, 3, 31*, and 0. Does he ever experience stress? He might be, but his batting certainly doesn’t reveal anything.
Maxwell received a lot of criticism for how he was dismissed during the most recent game against Pakistan. After openers Mitchell Marsh and David Warner slammed centuries, he was moved up to No. 3. The strategy was quite clear: start off strong. Even so, he might have had enough time to give himself a delivery or two, especially while facing Shaheen Shah Afridi, the finest bowler in Pakistan. No, Maxwell did not believe that. He cleared his front leg to make room for his first ball, swung hard, and skied one to mid-off.
Gavaskar wrecks havoc on Maxwell
Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar was so upset with Maxwell’s shot choice that he referred to the Australian all-rounder as irresponsible during the pre-match broadcast on Star Sports on Wednesday.
“It’s an ego thing. When he was awarded the No. 3 spot at RCB, I believe he was content. He believed that every game required him to contribute because he was important. He’s batting at five, six, and seven here. There’s a fine line between being careless and being carefree in cricket. In this World Cup, he has been more on the careless side. What sort of shot was that first-ball dismissal versus Pakistan? It’s obvious that (he was) reckless rather than carefree,” Gavaskar remarked.
Maxwell responds by swinging a bat
About three hours later, the former captain of India had no idea that Maxwell would respond with such a forceful blow at the bat. When Maxwell entered the field at the end of the 39th over, Australia had just lost Josh Inglish to injury, but with 11 overs remaining, they were ahead 266/4 thanks to the efforts of David Warner and Steve Smith.
But the Netherlands has only just begun to retreat a little. On the first ball of the following over, Warner (104), who blasted his 22nd ODI century, was dismissed. Similar to their performance against Pakistan, Australia was once again displaying signs of being unable to finish strongly. However, Maxwell chose to take charge.
He did not attempt a full-monty swing early in his innings, in contrast to the Pakistan encounter. Rather than missing the target, he made even Gavaskar proud with a superb on-drive. He drove through the covers with a booming drive, his next boundary. Maxwell was serious. It was a blatant indication that he was prepared to play cricket till his eyes were in. He poses the greatest threat at that time.
In the 43rd over, Cameron Green was run out for Australia. Maxwell now had the responsibility of completing the Australian innings. Thus, he acted. In the 44th over, he gave Teja Nidamanuru a half-chance when she failed to hold on to a challenging catch while sprinting backwards. After that, it was all out of mayhem.
Maxwell is headed for the fastest century in World Cup history.
Maxwell reached his fifty runs in just 27 balls after hitting a six. In the next 13 deliveries, he smashed six sixes and two fours, making it the fastest century in World Cup history. He defeated Aiden Markram of South Africa by nine deliveries.
Only AB de Villiers (off 31 balls vs. West Indies in 2015), Corey Anderson (off 36 balls vs. West Indies in 2014), and Shahid Afridi (off 37 balls vs. Sri Lanka 1996) have scored faster ODI centuries than this one.
In an innings packed with 8 sixes and 9 fours, Maxwell scored 106 runs off 44 balls. “I think I just needed to get my mind straight so I could go play. I had to consider the issue carefully once Davey and Greeny left. Patty was also excellent. I think I have enough time to go after it, even if they are pounding it into the wicket. My hands also need to move more quickly when they bowl quickly. Generally speaking, you aim to get it over the infield, Maxwell stated.