ODI Cricket World Cup: Glenn Maxwell produces one of the greatest ever innings to save Australia

Glenn Maxwell has written himself into Cricket World Cup folklore, pulling Australia out of the fire to fend off an inspired Afghanistan by three wickets in Mumbai.

Maxwell guided Australia from 7-91 to a record-winning run chase with the highest ODI score ever hit by an Aussie, an unbeaten 201.

The Aussie all-rounder played one of the great One-Day innings after a top-order debacle as he battled back spasms and full-body cramps, chasing a ground-high 292 in the vicious heat at Wankhede Stadium.

Celebrate the greatest ever ODI innings by an Aussie cricketer with your FREE Glenn Maxwell poster this Thursday in The West.

Alongside skipper Pat Cummins, he turned near-certain defeat into a semifinal-clinching victory with breath-taking power, plundering Afghanistan’s world-class spin brigade, including Big Bash favourite Rashid Khan, into every area of the stadium.

As his body began to fail, he looked in a different world, hitting boundaries on one leg as he and Cummins put on a record partnership of 202, Cummins contributing just 12, to shatter Afghani hearts.

Earlier in the night, Ibrahim Zadran set up Afghanistan’s chances, becoming the first Afghani batter to make a World Cup century, and a ton against Australia, carrying his bat for 129 as his side set their highest-ever World Cup total of 5-291.

“Great win but Maxy was out of this world,” Cummins said after the match.

“It’s just ridiculous. I don’t know how you describe something like that.

“It’s got to be the greatest ODI innings that’s ever happened.

It’s got to be the greatest ODI innings that’s ever happened.

“Whenever your chasing (Maxwell) has always got a plan so I think even from 200 behind he’s mapping out a way to win the game so it’s really special.”

Afghanistan were jubilant as they had Travis Head nicked off for a duck in the second over.

Mitch Marsh continued his aggressive approach after returning to the team, hitting 24 from 11.

But his fall lbw to Naveen-ul-Haq started a horror chain of wickets as David Warner was cleaned bowled, playing a poor shot for 18 before West Aussie Josh Inglis guided his first ball to second slip, leaving Australia in desperate trouble at 4-49.

Maxwell survived the hattrick ball by the thickness of his outside edge before being dropped at fine leg.

Marnus Labuschagne and Maxwell steadied for a time, but a desperate dive couldn’t save Labuschagne after he hesitated taking off for a single, run out with his bat in the air as the stumps were broken.

Marcus Stoinis tried to fight fire with fire, but his inability to pick spin left him in knots, out lbw trying to reverse sweep Khan.

The embarrassment reached new heights as Mitchell Starc walked off caught behind when a review would have revealed the ball touched his off stump, not the bat.

Maxwell continued to chance his arm with the long handle against the spin as he reached his half century.

He took full toll against Mujeeb Ur Rahman, entering the 90s with a four and a six before reaching a special century with a cut shot.

Maxwell and Cummins passed the 100-run mark in their partnership, with the skipper contributing just eight.

Maxwell was nearly forced off the field as he broke into full-body cramps but returned to finish the game in spectacular fashion, crunching his 10th six to seal victory and his double century.

It was an old-fashioned innings from a determined Afghanistan as they stuck to their plan, playing it safe through the middle overs before exploding at the end to post their biggest World Cup total.

After a solid start, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave the Aussies their first wicket late in the Power Play for 21.

Zadran controlled the Aussie quicks to a classy half century, including a bold ramp to the boundary over the wicketkeeper’s head against Cummins.

He and Rahmat Shah combined for an 83-run partnership, but Cummins found the brakes through his all-rounders.

Shah tried to up the ante against Maxwell but could only find Josh Hazlewood in the deep, devastated as his innings ended on 30.

However, Ibrahim held firm, utilising the gaps as Afghanistan had still lost just two wickets at the 37-over mark.

Mitchell Starc’s first, a searing yorker that clattered into Hashmatullah Shahidi’s middle stump, brought Azmatullah Omarzai to the wicket.

And he made his presence known, smoking Starc for a maximum over square mid-off to get off the mark before attacking Cummins through the leg side.

He then took Adam Zampa downtown for six to bring up the 200 for Afghanistan.

The leg spinner had the last laugh in the next over as Azmatullah found mid-off on 22.

Ibrahim looked nervous as he closed to within a shot of his century and nearly threw it all away with a kamikaze single, but the throw missed, and the 21-year-old etched his name into the history books.

Khan’s entrance whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and he responded with a series of powerful blows.

Afghanistan’s perfectly timed innings reached a crescendo in an electrifying final two overs as Ibrahim and Khan entertained the crowd, including with an amazing crouched swat-pull maximum.