After scoring an unbeaten 201off 128 balls to guide Australia to a 3-wicket victory and in the process secure a semi-final berth for the side, all- rounder Glenn Maxwell revealed what mindset he had when he walked in to bat.
Coming in to bat when the Aussies had fallen to 91/7 in the 19th over, Glenn Maxwell told skipper Pat Cummins, who came into bat, that he should stay in for a few overs to get the fightback started against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium.
"It was quite hot when we were fielding today. I haven't really done a whole lot of high-intensity exercise in the heat and it certainly got a hold of me today and just luckily enough we came out with a plan to stay at the same end for a little bit until I could sort of get some movement back, luckily enough I was able to stay till the end," Maxwell said during the post-match presentation.
Maxwell, who returned to the team after missing a match due to a concussion sustained in a golf cart accident, stated that he only wanted to be positive in his approach.
"It was basically to stick to our batting plan. I suppose for me it was still trying to be positive, still trying to take them on and trying to produce bad balls or something else I could score off," he added.
The middle-order batter also heaped praise on the Afghan bowlers and credited them for their bowling prowess.
“I think you obviously saw a little bit more swing and nip around under lights. Credit to them, they bowled absolutely beautifully upfront and put us on the back foot. What we struggled to do was take early wickets and put them under pressure, but credit to them, they bowled well upfront," he said.
The player of the match stated that Australia were written off after losing its first two World Cup matches to India and South Africa and has surprised many by winning six matches in a row.
"I think after the first two games everyone was pretty quick to write us off and to come back and win six straight now is a great effort from this group," said Maxwell.
Australia, who have a confirmed third place in the standings with 12 points, have one more match left in the World Cup, against Bangladesh on 11 November at the MCA International Stadium in Pune. But that is now merely a formality because the chasing pack (New Zealand, Pakistan & Afghanistan) can only reach 10 points, forcing them to compete for the fourth semi-final spot.
The five-time champions will face South Africa in the second semifinal on November 16 at Eden Gardens.
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