No footwork becomes great footwork too: Sachin Tendulkar praises Maxwell
Iconic batter Sachin Tendulkar drew parallels from Glenn Maxwell's exceptional performance against Afghanistan and heaped praise on the star all-rounder who suffered from cramps during his match-winning knock.
Maxwell came out as a beacon of strength, grit and determination by battling cramps and niggles throughout his unbeaten knock of 201. The 'Mad Max' of cricket produced an innings that will undoubtedly remain in public memory for years to come.
Maxwell was almost forced to retire due to multiple cramps and lingering back spasms, but he defied his physical discomfort to produce a sensational innings. Sachin pointed out Maxwell's use of "hand-eye" coordination after his footwork was limited because of the cramps.
“Life and cricket have many parallels. Sometimes, like a spring, what pulls you back is also what propels you forward. During yesterday's game, @Gmaxi_32's cramps constrained his footwork,” Sachin wrote on X, former Twitter.
“He had to stay put at the crease, but that enabled him to have a steady head, watch the ball closely and let his hand-eye coordination do the work, backed by exceptional bat-speed. Different formats of the game, and stages of the game require different footwork. And sometimes, no footwork becomes great footwork too," he added.
Over the course of Maxwell's superlative knock, he also became the first non-opener in men's ODIs to make a double hundred. His knock of 201 off 128 balls which is already being hailed as one of the best in ODI history, was laced with 21 fours and 10 sixes. He brought up the winning runs with his 10th six.
After a mediocre start to the campaign at the beginning of last month, Australia posted its sixth straight win in the ongoing World Cup against Afghanistan on Wednesday and became the third team to qualify for the semi-final of the ongoing World Cup.
Australia will now face Bangladesh in their final group-stage game at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday.