7 times ‘The Big Show’ put on a big show in ODI cricket – that cramp-riddled 201 was a feat to behold
Glenn Maxwell’s big show against Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup will go down in history as one of the best ever.
The Australian was cramping and hopping on one leg as he took his team from 91/7 to 292/7. It was a superhuman effort from the man they nicknamed ‘The Big Show.’
The innings holds a place on the list of all-time best one-man ODI cricket innings, next to knocks that include Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189 off 170 balls against England in 1984, Kapil Dev’s 175 (138) not out versus Zimbabwe in 1983, Saeed Anwar’s 194 to take down India in 1997, Tendulkar’s outstanding 175 to put Australia on the back foot in 2009, and Guptill’s 237 not out that crushed West Indies in 2015.
Besides that knock, Maxwell has had numerous moments of providing unparalleled entertainment, and we list some of his best below.
7. 201 not out vs Afghanistan, November 2023
Australia was on the precipice. Glenn Maxwell hadn’t expected to be in the middle in the powerplay, but he walked out to bat after 8.2 overs. Australia had only scored 49 runs as Azmatullah Omarzai ran through the Australian top order. The all-rounder helplessly watched as Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Starc departed in the next 10.1 overs as they slumped to 91/7.
Maxwell was experiencing spasms and cramping due to the Wankhede heat, but neither could stop him. He took control of the innings while his captain stonewalled the Afghanistan bowling attack, scoring 12 off 68 balls. On the other end, Maxwell unleashed 21 fours and 10 sixes on his way to a miraculous 201 off 128 balls in 181 minutes.
The innings made him the non-opener to reach a double-century in ODI cricket. Maxwell’s innings was so incredible that there was a 177-run difference between his score and Australia’s second-highest score in Australia’s innings, which was Mitchell Marsh’s 24.
6. 95, 4/46, 2 catches vs England – February 2015
You cannot talk of Maxwell’s ODI career without mentioning his all-round performance against England at the WACA in 2015. The all-rounder was elevated to number five, and when he came in to bat, Australia was on 46/3 after 11.6 overs. Maxwell walked in and stroked a 98-ball 95 to help Australia reach 278/8.
Maxwell turned around and completed two catches to dismiss James Taylor and Chris Woakes, and also mopped up four wickets, accounting for Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, and Stuart Broad. Maxwell single-handedly led Australia to an emphatic 112-run victory.
5. 106 vs Netherlands – October 2023
Maxwell arrived at the crease in the 39th over but did not face his first delivery until the 41st over. In that period, Australia continued a downward spiral that had begun in the 36th overs, after a brilliant 35 overs of batting. They went from 244 for 2 after 36 overs to 267 for 5 in the 40th. It was a bad collapse.
Eager not to add to Australia’s woes by losing another wicket, Maxwell was watchful during the first 20 balls he faced. At one point, he was on 35 from 21 balls, then he scored 15 runs off the next six balls to reach a 27-ball 50. Then came the massacre. Maxwell needed only 13 deliveries to go from 50 to 100 as he cantered to reach the fastest century at ODI World Cups. That ton was also the fourth-fastest in ODI cricket at the time.
4. 108 vs England – September 2020
Australia was in all sorts of problems when Glenn Maxwell arrived at the crease. They were on 73/5 chasing 303 to win. England had been catapulted to 302 by a fine century by Jonny Bairstow (112), and a couple of half-centuries from Sam Billings (57) and Chris Woakes (53*).
Maxwell crunched four fours and seven sixes on his way to 108 off 90 balls in a 212-run partnership with Alex Carey, who scored 106 from 114 balls. Both would have loved to see Australia past the finishing line, but they fell in the 48th and 49th overs. By the time they were both out, Australia needed 10 runs from the last over, and Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins saw them home.
The century was Maxwell’s first in five years and Australia’s first bilateral win over England in half a decade. According to Maxwell, in his book The Showman, it also sowed the seeds of belief in the side.
3. 102 vs Sri Lanka – March 2015
Maxwell has never been shy about records, he openly admitted that he kept an eye on them and he tried to beat them often. When Australia played Afghanistan at the 2015 ODI World Cup, he was going for the fastest ton when he fell for 88 off 39 balls.
The Australian had another shot at the record in his next outing. He smashed a 26-ball half-century and looked certain to match Kevin O’Brien’s record of 50 deliveries to reach a 100 when he took a single off the 50th ball he faced. But he denied himself the record when he told the umpire that the run was a bye. He did reach his century off 51 balls. It was also his maiden ODI century.
2. 98 vs Pakistan – March 2019
Australia had a good start with a six-run opening stand between Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, however, the wheels came off when they lost four wickets for 45 runs in 10 overs. Maxwell stepped up and batted through the next 27.1 overs to bat Australia to a match-winning 277/7.
In true Maxwell style, a milestone was the furthest thing from his mind. His focus was on getting Australia to an unassailable total, and he lost his wicket running hard for a two. His 98 off 82 balls was as good as a hundred because it helped Australia get a win, and as he later told reporters, “I’m not going to look back on my career when I’m done and think about all the hundreds I’ve missed. I’m going to think about the wins we had.”
1. 56 not out vs Pakistan – September 2012
Australian selectors always knew that Glenn Maxwell was a high-impact player; there was no better example of what he could do than his 19-ball half-century to propel Victoria to a one-wicket win over Tasmania in February 2011. It was the quickest 50 in Australian List A cricket. He finished the match with a masterful 61 off 27 balls.
Australia selected him for his first ODI match a year later. Maxwell didn’t take long to adapt to international cricket and prove the selectors right. He carved four fours and three sixes to lead Australia to victory and also register his maiden half-century, an unbeaten 56 off 38 balls. Maxwell closed his whirlwind innings and Australia’s victory with the match-clinching six off Junaid Khan.
