Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell set the Arun Jaitely Stadium on fire when he registered the fastest-ever century in the Cricket World Cup history. The Aussie star smoked a jaw-dropping hundred off just 40 balls as he bettered the world record registered by South African star Aiden Markram a few days ago. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar turned admirer after criticising Maxwell for his thunderous ton in the match.
Maxwell came out to bat in the 40th over of the first innings when another centurion David Warner was caught out. The swashbuckling all-rounder took no invitation to get his eyes set as he scored back-to-back fours on his second and third deliveries. Despite Cameron Green's wicket, Maxwell continued his onslaught and brought up his fifty in just 24 balls. What followed was absolute mayhem from the Aussie star as he 26 runs off Bas de Leede's over and brought up a 40-ball ton.
Speaking after the match on Star Sports, Gavaskar was all in praise for Maxwell as he lauded Maxwell. "This has to be one of the greatest shots in cricket. It's an amazing shot. It went for a six. He should actually get 12 for this shot. This is an unbelievable shot. Yes, after a couple of sixes, the bowling was a bit ragged. They just didn't know where to bowl. They tried slower ones, they tried bowling around the midriff. It was incredible bating. I mean, I took 40 balls to get off the mark and he scored a century," Gavaskar said in a post-match show on Star Sports.
Gavaskar criticised Maxwell earlier
Notably, before the match had begun, the Indian Legend criticised Maxwell for playing a rash shot in the match against Pakistan and getting out on a duck. "It's a matter of ego. I think he was happy at RCB when he was given the No.3 slot. He felt he was important, he needed to make a contribution to every match. Here he is batting at 5, 6, and 7. In cricket, there is a thin line between carefree and careless. He has been on the careless side (in this World Cup) more. That first-ball dismissal against Pakistan, what kind of a shot was that? So clearly, (he was) careless and not carefree," Gavaskar had said before the AUS vs NED game.
The Aussies demolished the Netherlands in an absolute lopsided encounter and registered their 3rd win in the tournament. They registered the biggest win in the ODI World Cup history as they downed the Dutch by 309 runs after setting a 400-run target.
