'Full of confidence' Glenn Maxwell credits IPL after hitting fastest ODI World Cup hundred

Glenn Maxwell, the star all-rounder of the Australian cricket team, showcased his remarkable skills by achieving the fastest century in World Cup history during a match against Netherlands in Delhi on October 25. Maxwell's explosive innings of 106 runs from just 44 balls, which included nine fours and eight sixes, propelled Australia to an imposing total of 399 for the loss of eight wickets.

3 things you need to know

• Glenn Maxwell hit the fastest ODI World Cup hundred
• The Australian smashed 106 runs off just 44 balls 
• Australia thrashed Netherlands by 309 runs in Delhi

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This extraordinary achievement was particularly significant given Maxwell's recent form in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), where he had been averaging a mere 12.4 in 2023 and had struggled to score half-centuries in India since 2017. However, the experienced cricketer drew on his extensive experience playing in India, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), to deliver a scintillating performance when it mattered most.

Speaking at the post-match press conference after Australia's emphatic victory over Netherlands by 309 runs, Maxwell downplayed the concerns about his ODI form, emphasising the similarities between ODIs and T20 cricket. He highlighted the confidence he gained from his successful IPL campaigns in India and his strong performance in practice games leading up to the World Cup 2023.

"The fact that I've made runs in India during the IPL pretty regularly over the last couple of years, so I'm not too worried about people saying that I haven't made runs in ODI cricket because it doesn't really matter, especially my role in one-day cricket," Maxwell said.

"It's so similar to T20, so I just draw on those experiences, knowing that if I do get it right on the day, hopefully my team will be winning. Having had a bit of success this year in India during the IPL, I've come to India during this World Cup full of confidence and even started well in the practice games with a good 70 against Pakistan." 

How Maxwell excels in high-pressure situations?

Maxwell also addressed the critics who focused on his last 20 ODI games, spread out over six years on different continents, stating that it was not a fair representation of his abilities. He emphasised the importance of taking one game at a time and drawing on his experience to excel in high-pressure situations.

"People talk about my last 20 ODI games but they're spaced out over 6 years over different continents all over the place and one game at a time every four months, so there's not really much you can sort of go by," he said.

The Australian all-rounder revealed his awareness of records and statistics, particularly those related to the fastest fifty and fastest hundred in ODIs. Maxwell acknowledged that his aggressive style of play sometimes led him to push the boundaries, which occasionally resulted in missed opportunities, but also fueled his drive to set new records.

"I'm very aware of balls faced. I love the fastest 50, and fastest 100 records. I think they're pretty cool records," he said when asked if he keeps an eye on the stats. Sometimes to the detriment of myself, I've always probably pushed the boundaries a bit too much. I think against Afghanistan in 2015, I was 88 off 37 and I was like I'm getting into the next two balls I hit one straight to cover and butchered it. I think I got my fastest 100 next game," he said. 

Maxwell overcomes physical discomfort

Despite his remarkable performance, Maxwell admitted that he wasn't in great physical shape leading up to the match against Netherlands. He described feeling more relaxed and less eager to bat than in previous games, hinting at potential physical discomfort without specifying the exact reason.

Maxwell's journey to this record-breaking innings had not been without its challenges. He had experienced setbacks, including a leg injury in a freak accident and subsequent ankle soreness after the T20 series against South Africa. These setbacks had raised doubts about his fitness for the World Cup, but Maxwell's determination and hard work paid off.

"There's probably moments post the South Africa T20 series when I was forced to go home with a little setback. That was quite a frustrating period," he said. "I felt like I had done a lot of good work post the blast, all that rehab back at home in Melbourne and I felt like my strength and my fielding stuff was going really well and to have that setback on day one of my training was quite frustrating.

"You do start to get some dark thoughts of like, is this going to affect me for the whole World Cup? Am I going to be struggling to get through every game? Am I going to be letting the team down by having to field in cold zones on the field where I'm not getting much ball? That wouldn't have sat well with me I think if that had been the case. The fact that I don't have to be hidden in the field is quite nice."