Cricket World Cup: From Deep Depression To Double Century, Glenn Maxwell Has Come A Long Way

Glenn Maxwell scripted history against Afghanistan at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Crawling on his knees between overs, gasping in pain, the Aussie kept swinging his bat around to score an unbeaten 201 in just 128 balls.

When Maxwell arrived to bat, Australia was reeling at 49/4 in a 292-run chase. It further sunk to 91/7 when he was joined by captain Pat Cummins. While the skipper played the blocking game, Maxwell played his natural aggressive game to steer Australia to a memorable win.

Despite cramps and spasms, the Australian all-rounder pushed himself through the pain barrier to carry his team across the finishing line, smashing 21 fours and 10 sixes. With the victory, the Aussies have become the third team to qualify for the semi-finals, after India and South Africa.

Aussie Once Lifted Lid On Mental Demons

Glenn Maxwell, nonetheless, has come a long way. During the 2019 World Cup in England, he was in hospital after being hit by a bouncer in the nets. He was frustrated. Such was his frame of mind at the time that he hoped the injury was serious.

The Aussie hasn’t always been strong mentally. He had once lifted the lid on his mental demons in a podcast. During the last World Cup, he had a meltdown. A few months after the injury, he told the world he was suffering from depression and took a break.

From not being in the right frame of mind to take the field to becoming Australia’s saviour, Maxwell’s journey has been nothing less than inspiring. On Tuesday, he also recorded a number of feats as he scored an unbeaten double century to bring Australia closer to the coveted trophy.

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Full List Of Records Glenn Maxwell Broke

Maxwell recorded Australia’s first-ever ODI double century, making it the 11th instance of a double hundred in 50-over cricket. This performance also marked the highest individual score in an ODI run-chase and the highest score ever achieved by a non-opener in ODI cricket history.

Additionally, the Aussie scored the second-fastest double century in ODI history, taking just 128 balls. His 201* also constituted only the third instance of a double ton in ODI Cricket World Cups, alongside Chris Gayle’s 215 for West Indies and Martin Guptill’s 237 for New Zealand in 2015.

A limping Maxwell smashed 10 sixes in the match. He has secured his place as the third player with the most World Cup career sixes, at 33, trailing Indian captain Rohit Sharma (45) and West Indies cricket legend Gayle (49). What an incredible game it was, right?