ODI World Cup 2023: Australia won against Afghanistan by 3 wickets

Australia thanks to a double century from Glenn Maxwell defeated Afghanistan by three wickets to seal a place in the semifinals. Here is a recap of the second innings.

Afghanistan pacers put a dent in the Australian chase

Naveen-ul-Haq bowling the second over of the innings made an immediate impact. Naveen dismissed Travis Head with just his second ball. David Warner smashed the first four of the innings in the third over. Mitchell Marsh came with an aggressive mindset and smashed Azmatullah Omarzai for a four and a six each in the fifth over. Marsh then smashed another four and a six in the sixth over off Naveen’s bowling. Naveen had the last laugh and dismissed Marsh via LBW. Marsh scored 24 runs in 11 balls hitting two fours and sixes each. Omarzai bowled a maiden over in the seventh over. He followed it up by two wickets in his following over. Omarzai dismissed Warner and Josh Inglis off consecutive deliveries. 

Afghanistan pick regular wickets

Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell shared a crucial partnership. Afghan bowlers conceded just 17 runs in four overs after the powerplay. Rashid Khan came into the attack in the 15th over and brought a wicket with himself. Labuschagne was run out after being very slow to react on a quick single and Rahmat Shah’s direct hit at the keeper’s end caught Australian number four short on his ground. Labuschagne scored 14 runs in 28 balls hitting two fours. Maxwell started with his aggressive approach smashing two fours in the 16th over. Rashid dismissed Marcus Stoinis in the following over. Stoinis reviewed the LBW call but it showed three reds and he was given out as Australia lost the review. Rashid then dismissed Mitchell Starc in his following over. It was an unfortunate dismissal for Starc who was given out for caught behind. The replays showed the ball hitting the edge of the stumps but not making any contact with the bat.

Maxwell goes big against Afghan bowlers

Maxwell was beaten a couple of times in the 21st over by Rashid. Noor Ahmad in the 22nd over twice came close to dismissing Maxwell. Maxwell was given out LBW but a review from the Australian all-rounder showed the ball bouncing over the stumps. On the fifth ball of the same over Maxwell went for a sweep shot but top-edged it to fine leg where Mujeeb ur Rahman dropped a fairly simple catch. Maxwell then smashed a few boundaries in almost every over. Australia scored 70 runs in 10 overs (23-32). Maxwell brought up his century in the 33rd over in just 76 balls. Mohammad Nabi came into the attack in the 34th over and was smashed for two consecutive fours. Maxwell then smashed Nabi for a four and a six in his following over. 

Rashid was smashed for a six in the 39th over. Maxwell started to cramp up and had trouble running between the wickets. Naveen bowling the 40th over was smashed for two consecutive fours. Maxwell brought up 150 in the 42nd over by smashing two more fours. Omarzai continued to be expensive and conceded 15 runs in his following over after being hit for two fours and a six by Maxwell.