“It actually made the whole job a bit simpler” - Glenn Maxwell on battling cramps, back spasms during spectacular double hundred 

Australian batter Glenn Maxwell has stated that having suffered from cramps during this 2023 World Cup knock against Afghanistan, he had no other option, but to play stand and deliver strokes. He cheekily commented that fitness issues made the job simpler for him.

Maxwell scored an incredible 201* off 128 balls as Australia beat Afghanistan by three wickets in match number 39 of the 2023 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. With the win, Australia also confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the tournament.

The Australian all-rounder struck 21 fours and 10 sixes to help his team recover from 91/7 in a chase of 292. Speaking after the game, Maxwell opened up on how he overcame cramps and back spasms during his innings.

He said in a video on ICC’s Instagram handle:

“I was cramping, but as I went “Oh, no I am cramping”, I cramped in my left hamstring at the same time. So I was like, I’ve got both legs, then I had a back spasm when I hit the ground."

“It actually made the whole job a little bit more simpler. I wasn’t sort of overthinking the situation. I just knew that if I got a ball that I could hit, I’d try and hit it,” the 35-year-old added.

Meanwhile, Maxwell has also shared a post on his official X handle, expressing gratitude for all the accolades being showered on him in the wake of his brilliant innings.

“Pretty overwhelmed with all the ❤️ Thank you so much to everyone that has sent messages. @patcummins30 was amazing out there! Sorry I knocked back a couple 🫣 Time to get back to dad duties 👨‍👩‍👦❤️," he wrote.

The hard-hitting batter featured in an unbroken 202-run stand for the eighth wicket with Pat Cummins to sink Afghanistan’s hopes of pulling off a famous win.

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“He literally couldn’t move” - Pat Cummins on Maxwell

Australian skipper Cummins admitted that he felt Maxwell would go off the field as the "Big Show" literally couldn’t move after cramping and suffering from back spasms.

He added that the physio managed to convince the batter to stay on.

“Yeah, I thought he was going off, so I kind of signaled to Zamps [Zampa] to get down here because he literally couldn’t move. The physio was out there obviously and he kind of convinced Maxi that if he came off it might be worse off, so try and hang out there. Stand up,” Cummins said.

Maxwell struck Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 6,6,4,6 in the 47th over to lift Australia to an incredible win and also complete his double ton.