Afghanistan skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi rued the dropped catches of Glenn Maxwell and felt that it cost them the game against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Mumbai. At 91/7, the Australians seemed down and out after being set a formidable total of 292 to win. Despite being in hopeless situation, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell put on an incredible show with the bat as his exceptional batting took the game away from the Afghans. (Highlights | Scorecard | Report | Full Coverage)
The all-rounder smashed his way to a blistering 201 not out off just 128 balls, breaking the record set by fellow teammate David Warner for the highest score for an Aussie batter. Maxwell fought severe cramps and exhaustion, but that did not budge him as the batter hit the Afghan bowlers to all corners of Wankhede stadium.
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However, Maxwell must thank his stars for the amount of luck he rode during the match. He was dropped on 33 by Mujeeb Ur Rahman at short fine leg, while Afghanistan skipper, Hasmatullah Shahidi too missed a catch at mid-off to dismiss the all-rounder. Afghanistan's missed opportunities proved costly as Maxwell hit a marvellous double hundred to seal a spot in the semi-final.
Speaking after the match, a sulking Shahidi said that the dropped catches of Maxwell hurt his side's chances in the game.
"Very disappointed. Cricket is a funny game, it was unbelievable for us. We were in the game, our bowlers started very well and the dropped chances hurt us."
"After that, Maxwell doesn't stop, he played every kind of shot and I can give credit to him. I think the dropped catches were the key, after that Maxwell played really well. Our bowlers tried their best but he didn't give any chance to us," said Shahidi.
Also Read: AFG Vs AUS: Ibrahim Zadran Hits Classy Century Against Australia, Becomes Afghanistan's First Centurion In ICC Cricket World Cup
However, the Afghan skipper was proud of the performance his side put out against the five-time World Cup champions, Australia. He also stated that team would try to get things right and put on a strong performance against the Proteas in their final game.
"Proud of the team, but we will be disappointed tonight. We didn't think it would be this way, part of the game. This is cricket. We will try to come back strong against South Africa. He (Ibrahim Zadran) must be proud of himself, I am also proud that he is the first Afghan with a WC hundred," said Shahidi.
