Australia’s Glenn Maxwell achieved the fastest men’s World Cup century in 40 balls, setting a new record in their victory over the Netherlands in Delhi. Australia’s powerful performance led to a record 309-run defeat for the Netherlands, with the latter being bowled out for just 90 runs.
Maxwell’s incredible innings, characterized by extraordinary strokeplay and power hitting, is now the fourth fastest in the history of One Day Internationals (ODIs) and the quickest ever for Australia. This feat surpasses his previous 51-ball century against Sri Lanka in the 2015 World Cup.
Australia’s total of 399-8 was boosted by David Warner’s second century of the tournament and extraordinary contributions by other batsmen. This commanding victory was Australia’s biggest in One Day Internationals and significantly improved their net run-rate.
Australia’s campaign in the World Cup started with three consecutive defeats, but they have now won three in a row and are consolidating their place in the top four.
In response to Maxwell’s explosive century, he celebrated with a roar, emphasizing the significance of this achievement to his team. Maxwell’s extraordinary performance was complemented by his teammates, with Warner providing a solid foundation for the innings.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, offered little resistance with the bat, and their highest scorer was Vikram Singh with 25 runs.
With only five batters reaching double figures, the Netherlands were bowled out for 90 runs, underscoring Australia’s dominance in the match.
Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, calling it “the complete game” and highlighting the impressive contributions of Maxwell and Warner.
Maxwell, who was named Player of the Match, noted that his century was a significant confidence boost, and he was pleased to regain his rhythm after a few matches without scoring runs.
With a series of challenging matches ahead against New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, Australia will be looking to build on their momentum and secure a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards acknowledged Australia’s quality as a team and emphasized the need to learn from this game and quickly move on to the next challenge.
