ESPNcricinfo Awards 2023 Men's ODI batting winner: Glenn Maxwell vs the world

Australia collapsed in a messy heap under lights against Afghanistan at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. At the end of 19 overs, they were 95 for 7, chasing 292, with ESPNcricinfo's forecaster giving them just a 0.5% chance of winning. Maxwell struggled in the Mumbai heat - he could barely walk, let alone run - but he pulled off a miracle for Australia, in the company of Pat Cummins, with an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls.

When Maxwell walked out to bat in the mandatory powerplay, Azmatullah Omarzai was getting the new ball to hoop in and out. The Afghanistan allrounder had just dismissed David Warner and Josh Inglis off successive balls. Omarzai almost bagged a hat-trick - he squared Maxwell up first ball and found the outside edge, but it did not carry to the wicketkeeper.

Maxwell then watched Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc fall around him, but he launched a no-holds-barred onslaught against both pace and spin. Rashid Khan was drilled back over his head for six. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was shanked down the ground for six. Noor Ahmad was smashed over midwicket for six. Seamers Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq couldn't stop Maxwell.

Even cramps and spasms in his legs couldn't stop him. In the end overs, Maxwell was writhing in pain, with No. 10 Adam Zampa waiting at the boundary, but he overcame it to cap an extraordinary victory for Australia in the company of his captain, Pat Cummins. Maxwell zoomed to his double-century - and finished off the game - in style with a sequence of 6, 6, 4, 6 off mystery spinner Mujeeb in the 47th over.

Maxwell's double-hundred was the first by an Australia player in ODI cricket and the first in a chase in the format. It all but KO'd Afghanistan and vaulted Australia into the World Cup semi-final.

In the 22nd over of the chase, Maxwell could've been out twice. He was given out when Noor darted one into his pads, but Maxwell had the decision successfully overturned on review. In the same over, he was dropped by Mujeeb at short fine leg, just after he nervelessly reversed Noor over short third. It was this trick shot that marked the beginning of #Maxball on the day.

1 Maxwell is the first non-opener to score an ODI double-hundred.

177 Difference between Maxwell's score and the second-highest score in Australia's innings (Mitchell Marsh's 24).

179 Runs contributed by Maxwell in his unbeaten 202-run stand with Cummins for the eighth wicket. Cummins managed 12 off the 68 balls he faced, while another 11 runs came via extras.

"It was great fun. It just felt like it was me and Patty [Cummins] having fun out there."
- Glenn Maxwell

"I've watched and played a lot of cricket, and I've seen nothing like that… unbelievable scenes. He was done. He was down and out, he couldn't move."
- Ricky Ponting

Travis Head
137 vs India, World Cup final, Ahmedabad
Another Australian who played another blazing World Cup innings. Opener Travis Head clattered 137 off 120 balls in a chase of 241 in the final to down tournament favourites India and rush Australia to a sixth ODI World Cup title. From being injured at the start of the tournament, Head finished with a Player-of-the-Match performance on the biggest stage.