Australia 293 for 7 (Maxwell 201*, Rashid 2-44) beat Afghanistan 291 for five (Ibrahim 129*, Rashid 35*, Hazlewood 2-39) by three wickets
The chase wasn’t the one factor that acquired tighter and tighter in direction of the tip. Maxwell, having fielded the 50 overs within the Mumbai warmth, started cramping up badly. It was his legs. They’d simply stopped working. He appeared in agonising ache within the forty first over, prompting the subsequent batter, the No. 10, Adam Zampa to attend by the boundary-line whereas the physio patched him as much as maintain him going.
And go he did. Batting with out ever transferring his ft, Maxwell saved clobbering sixes till he introduced dwelling the Australian miracle. Two-hundred and one unbeatean runs in simply 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes. It was one of many all-time nice ODI innings.
Maxwell had walked in to face Omarzai’s hat-trick ball within the ninth over, when Australia had been 49 for 4 in pursuit of 292. He was then concerned in a mix-up, which value Australia the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 14. When Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc fell quickly after, leaving Australia at 91 for 7, the sport appeared carried out. Besides it wasn’t. Maxwell soldiered on and Cummins caught to him limpet-like, contributing simply 12 runs (off 68 balls) to a double-century partnership.
With 21 wanted off the ultimate 4 overs for Australia’s win and Maxwell’s double-hundred, he went 6,6,4,6 towards Mujeeb Ur Rahman to supply the double coup de grâce.
Mujeeb might’ve reduce Maxwell’s innings quick on 33 had he not dropped a sitter at quick effective. Maxwell then went about doing Maxwell issues. He mowed Noor Ahmad over midwicket. He shanked Mujeeb over his head and carted Mohammed Nabi over midwicket too. The reverse-sweep and different trick photographs had been additionally on show in Mumbai as he surged to 100 off 76 balls. He then wanted simply 52 balls for his second hundred. On the different finish, Cummins defended resolutely. That was all he wanted to do.
Rashid Khan was the one Afghanistan bowler to flee the one-man wrecking crew that was Maxwell. Afghanistan had picked 4 spinners for this match, nevertheless it was Naveen and Omarzai who inflicted extreme harm on Australia’s chase. They bowled Check-match strains and lengths, and swung the brand new ball each methods, beneath lights. Naveen first ripped out Travis Head with an outswinger earlier than pinning Mitchell Marsh lbw with an inswinger. Naveen might’ve additionally dismissed David Warner on 4 had Rahmat Shah not dropped a troublesome likelihood at gully. Warner added 14 to his tally earlier than Omarzai floored his off stump with an inswinger.
After ending off three profitable chases in a row, Afghanistan might need had a temptation to do the identical on Tuesday. However Hashmatullah Shahidi resisted that and backed his batters to place runs on the board on a barely atypical Wankhede observe, which was on the drier facet. Ibrahim led the way in which and batted by way of the innings on a sizzling afternoon to remain unbeaten on 129 off 143 balls. The spotlight of his innings was a ramped 4 off Cummins within the 14th over. Later within the slog overs, he together with Rashid, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls, laid into Australia’s assault. Ibrahim and Rashid smashed 58 collectively off simply 27 balls to elevate Afghanistan to 291, however their pleasure became disbelief after which helplessness within the evening.
