The indomitable Australian spirit

The indomitable Australian spirit was on display in all its glory at The Wankhede on 7^th of November against Afghanistan. It was led by the likes of Maxwell and the captain Pat Cummins. Not for nothing have Australia won so many world titles in all the 3 formats of the game. There is a saying in Australia that nothing is lost until it is lost. They fight right till the end and Australians in general are not known to throw the towel in. Maxwell played a blinder of an innings. It certainly is among the great innings played in the history of ODI cricket. Whether it is the greatest innings in the history of ODI cricket, it is debatable. There were so many innings which was on par with the innings of Maxwell.

Also, it is another matter that if only Najeeb had held onto a dolly, Afghanistan would have made history at the same venue. However, it was not to be. He also survived an umpire decision that was overturned by the 3^rd umpire. It was his day and he wasn’t going to miss it. He made the most out of it the twin reprieve and ensured that he took his team over the line. Cramps or otherwise. Maxwell we all are aware is capable of playing such blinding innings once in awhile but what stood out was the composure shown by the captain, Pat Cummins.

“It’s so fresh at the moment I’m a bit numb to it,” Maxwell told reporters. “It was great fun. It just felt like it was me and Patty [Cummins] having fun out there. I’ll probably reflect a bit more over the next few days and hopefully recover and get some movement back in my hamstring and calves. It’s pretty raw at the moment.”

The support act of Cummins

More than Maxwell it was Cummins who showcased the Australian spirit in all its splendour. When Cummins came in, he witnessed the dismissal of Mitchell Starc who was given out despite the fact that the ball never touched the bat on the way to the keeper, it just brushed the stump.

The Australians were so dumbfounded until that point that Starc did not even think of reviewing the decision because he himself wasn’t sure. The batsmen will usually know when they hit the cover of the ball. Nonetheless, Starc didn’t because in his mind, he believed that he was out. Perhaps, he felt that the appeal was so convincing that he definitely edged the ball. The Aussies were mesmerised by the quality of the Afghanistan attack. It was Cummins who not only provided the much needed support for Maxwell but showed the resilience that the Aussies are famous for.

Cummins did not even try to score singles. He was content to play out the deliveries rather than be involved in some fancy shots that would have brought about his downfall. It must be remembered that after Cummins, both Zampa and Hazlewood were more or less cheap dismissals. Cummins knew that he needed to survive as long as he can. He must have had immense faith in the ability of Maxwell, if not to pull off the impossible but at the least, reduce the margin so that the NRR will not be affected drastically. It will be suffice to say that Cummins played a captain’s innings. He was unflustered throughout his innings. Suddenly, the bowling became much more easier.

Aussies are known for such resilience

This is not something new for Australia. They have done this multiple times in the past. Who can forget the epic1999 World Cup semi-finals between Australia and South Africa? Who would have expected Australia to defend just above 200? It was Shane Warne who provoked a top-order slump and from then on, Australia were all over South Africa. They didn’t panic even when Klusener stroked a couple of boundaries in the final over with just 10 required. Anyone who witnessed that game, will never ever forget it in a hurry except ofcourse, he or she is a South African.

It usually takes something special to pull one over Australia. The brilliance of Laxman in India and Laxman and Dravid in Australia or the fabulous innings of Ben Stokes at Headingley will always be remembered because of the audacity of those knocks.

Ofcourse, the current Australian team is just a patch on the all-conquering Australian team of the 1990s and early 2000 but they still will not give up that easily.

Australia won the T20 World Cup a couple of years ago in Dubai against every odd. No one expected them to win but they did. Mathew Wade on that occasion proved to be their hero with an awesome counter-attacking knock against the pace of Afridi and Harris Rauf.