INDIA: In pursuit of a challenging target of 292 runs, Australia faced a precarious situation as they found themselves losing seven wickets in quick succession. However, Glenn Maxwell’s remarkable and unbeaten double century turned the game around, enabling Australia to secure a thrilling 3-wicket victory in the ongoing ICC World Cup match held at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Carrying the bat through the innings and finishing on 129 not out, Ibrahim Zadran became the first batsman in Afghanistan’s history to hit a century during the World Cup. He led his side to 291 for five against Australia.
For his seventh one-day international century in 27 games, the 21-year-old opener faced 131 balls, including seven fours. Reaching the milestone, he got a risky single off fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, which ended up being a two when a throw at the stumps went wide.
The Australians got things going with a quick bowling combination of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Afghanistan, having won the toss, chose to bat first and lost opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. However, Rahmat Shah and Zadran stitched up 83 runs for the second wicket to provide a solid foundation until the latter was removed by Glenn Maxwell for 30 runs in the 25th over.
The Australians have made an incredible recovery in the competition after losing their opening two ICC World Cup 2023 matches to South Africa and India. That being said, Afghanistan has had a fantastic World Cup campaign in the cricket competition. They are sixth in the standings right now after taking eight points from their first seven games.
Australia were reduced to 91-7, and the target seemed unachievable since then. Pat Cummins came into bat after Mitchell Starc was caught behind. Maxwell, on the other end, stood steady and showed his grit to win the game for his country. The target, which almost seemed impossible at one point, was made achievable by a scintillating double hundred, which helped Australia go past the target with 19 balls to spare.
Australia has 10 points from seven games, good for third place in the rankings. The five-time winners are now qualified for the semi-finals as they have defeated Afghanistan. Now Australia has one game to go, and as for the fourth place, it is still to be occupied. Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Pakistan may want to make a place in the semi-finals. This week of the World Cup would be interesting to watch.
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