Greatest Innings of all time

Dr Nauman Niaz
There have been a handful of great innings before- was it the greatest?
What Glen Maxwell produced yesterday was improbable.
I would have said impossible hadn’t he actually achieved it.
In front of our eyes we saw one man standing up in absolute adversity, starting normally, as he does so often, survived two dropped catches one when on 24 & the other when 33 by Heshmatullah Shahidi & Mujeeb Ur Rehman respectively.
It turned into their nightmare, more into mayhem.
He had almost walked out when on 27.
And he reviewed the leg before appeal-that was it.
What we saw Glen Maxwell slaying all the bowlers.
Having outlived early jitters, he followed it with a period of consolidation, consequently it seemed he moved to another level only brought back by most painful & excruciating cramps.
Humidity, sweating, loss of electrolytes, abnormal spinal reflex activity of the affected muscle, lactic acid accumulation, low magnesium, calcium & potassium, straining & over using leg muscle, seemingly all was happening to him.
He didn’t recede rather he went into his own realm, oblivious of what was around him or happening to him.
And presumably soon he went into another phase, it was like he was in a trance.
Whatever he was contemplating or thinking, everything delivered to him went out of the park.
He plummeted sixes whenever he wanted to.
It was a video game stuff, even better.
Maxwell walked in with Australia in a huge mess having slithered to 49-4.
He survived a hat trick ball from Azmat Ullah Omarzai.
More so, the ball was seaming & swinging, Afghanistan’s confidence was soaring.
With Australia needing 100 runs, he was down with cramps, in anguish, clinching his teeth, even yelling.
Pat Cummins, obdurate & with a plan to stick around pulled off 12 in 68 balls in a partnership of 202. Maxwell’s share was a whopping 179.
Interestingly, versus Netherlands he had walked in the 39th over, taken his first ball in the 40th ending with 106 in 44 balls (9 X 4s, 8 X 6s).
And now a phenomenal 201 not out in 128 balls (21 X 4s & 10 sixes) the last spurring Australia into the semi finals.
He becomes the only batsman to score a double hundred in an ODI coming to bat at 6 and it was in a chase.
Incredible – thus far he has an aggregate of 397 runs in 7 innings
What he must be doing by now- getting intravenous electrolyte infusions after getting the counting done.
Prolonged exercise and sweat loss can deplete the body of “13 to 17g of salt (2.3 to 3.4 g per L of sweat).
Determining the amount of fluid lost is to weigh the athlete after activity and compare to the weight he initially had before pursuing activity.
What it seemed, Maxwell must have shredded a few. It was Glen Maxwell everywhere.

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