In a remarkable display of cricketing prowess, he compelled Afghanistan to pay the price with an extraordinary 128-ball innings, which included an impressive 21 fours and an astonishing 10 sixes. This historic feat elevated him to the esteemed company of only two other batsmen, namely New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and the West Indies’ Chris Gayle, who has achieved the remarkable milestone of scoring a double century in the World Cup.

Maxwell brilliantly concluded the game with almost three overs remaining as he powered a six off Mujeeb.

Maxwell, at the age of 35, achieved his fourth century in One-Day International (ODI) cricket out of 136 matches. Notably, he recorded his second century of the tournament, making history with the fastest hundred in men’s World Cup history. This remarkable feat was accomplished in just 40 balls against the Netherlands.

Australian captain Pat Cummins contributed valuably with an unbeaten score of 12 runs while playing a crucial role in an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership that yielded an impressive 202 runs.

In a thrilling turn of events during the late stages of the match, Maxwell, with a score of 146, experienced a sudden and severe bout of cramps while he limped to secure a crucial single.

After receiving on-field medical attention, Maxwell, who was still facing difficulties, continued to relentlessly attack Afghanistan’s bowlers with a spectacular variety of shots.

This included a remarkable six off paceman Azmatullah Omarzai, a moment that came after Maxwell denied him a hat-trick earlier.

Despite suffering this defeat, Afghanistan still has a chance to reach the semi-finals. However, they must secure a victory against the second-placed South Africa and rely on favorable outcomes in other matches to qualify for the knockout phase.

The night appeared to be Ibrahim Zadran’s, as his remarkable 129 not out in Afghanistan’s total of 291-5 marked the first century by an Afghan batsman in a World Cup.

In the 1996 quarter-final held in Chennai, Australia found themselves in a situation where they needed to surpass their previous highest winning score of 287 to secure victory against New Zealand in a World Cup match.

Opener Travis Head was dismissed without scoring, caught behind off a brilliant delivery from Naveen-ul-Haq that sharply seamed away. Naveen-ul-Haq also claimed the wicket of Mitchell Marsh, who was adjudged leg before wicket (lbw) after scoring 24 runs.
Australia’s score of 43-2 quickly turned into 49-4, with Omarzai delivering successive blows. He clean-bowled the seasoned opener David Warner after the left-hander attempted an ungainly shot across the line, and Josh Inglis edged the ball to the first slip on the very next delivery.

Maxwell narrowly escaped the hat-trick, as he edged the ball just short of wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil.

Australia found themselves at 69-5 as a result of a misunderstanding between Maxwell and Marnus Labuschagne. In an unfortunate turn of events, Rahmat Shah’s precise throw from midwicket resulted in Labuschagne being run out. Subsequently, leg-spinner Rashid Khan dismissed Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc, much to the delight of the cheering crowd, as Afghanistan gained momentum.

However, Maxwell’s significant intervention came when Australia was struggling at 112-7.

Zadran, the opening batsman, propelled Afghanistan to their highest-ever World Cup total, surpassing the 288 runs they scored against the West Indies at Headingley in 2019.

Australia managed to maintain control over Afghanistan despite losing the toss, although they faced difficulties in taking wickets. Zadran achieved his fifth century in just 27 ODIs, accomplishing the feat in 131 balls with seven boundaries.