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In a sensational turn of events at the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Afghanistan appeared on the brink of victory with Australia struggling at 91/7. However, Glenn Maxwell had other plans. He played an extraordinary innings, scoring an unbeaten 201 runs off 128 balls, single-handedly steering Australia to a remarkable come-from-behind three-wicket win and securing their spot in the semifinals.
Following the match, Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, admitted that his team missed crucial opportunities related to Glenn Maxwell and believed that dropping catches in his case only fueled his explosive batting display. Maxwell received a lifeline on 33 when Mujeeb Ur Rahman dropped a straightforward catch at short fine leg off Noor Ahmad’s bowling.
Trott acknowledged the significance of those missed chances, stating, “It’s a case of we got ourselves into a position and should have capitalized, obviously dropped two chances, and gave a person like Maxwell a chance. He’s going to run with it and he almost played with a bit of freedom and almost freed him up a little bit and gave a bit of momentum back to them. I thought it was a spectacular innings, a world-class innings. But we certainly helped him along the way.”
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He also recognized that this match is a valuable learning experience for the relatively young Afghanistan team, emphasizing the importance of staying focused and not underestimating the intensity of cricket at the highest level.
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Trott reflected on the lessons from the game, noting, “It’s a good lesson, I think, for our players because in this game, if you take your eye off the ball just a little bit and you think too far ahead and you try and start thinking other things instead of just worrying about taking the next wicket, this game can bite you pretty quickly.”
He also highlighted that Maxwell’s aggressive form made it difficult for the bowlers to contain him and that, in such situations, there’s little room for error. “He kept hitting boundaries, so there wasn’t really much singles going, so we didn’t have to stop the singles. But he kept hitting them in the stands, so we can’t put fielders in the stands. I wish we could have. But full credit to him, the way that he played to get a double hundred is phenomenal. He deserved to win the game; he got a double hundred.”
Afghanistan currently occupies the sixth position in the group with eight points from as many matches. They will face South Africa in their final league match in Ahmedabad, and Trott expressed his hope that his team shows resilience and rebounds, drawing upon past examples of their ability to bounce back in the tournament.
He concluded by saying, “There’s some great learning points for the guys going forward. But it’s a bitter pill to swallow. It would really be nice just sitting here with 10 points. But hopefully that’s after the South Africa game.”