Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly didn’t hold back in expressing his disappointment with the Afghanistan bowlers’ strategies during their recent encounter against Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023. Ganguly particularly highlighted how their tactics inadvertently assisted an injured Glenn Maxwell by bowling within his hitting range.
Maxwell’s brilliance steered Australia to a remarkable victory over Afghanistan in a league-stage match. Rescuing the team from a challenging position at 91/7 during the chase, Maxwell’s unbeaten 201 runs led them to triumph in Mumbai, chasing down a hefty target of 292 runs.
In a conversation with Kolkata TV, Ganguly pointed out that Afghanistan’s bowlers erred in their approach towards Maxwell. He emphasized that they should have aimed for Maxwell’s off-stump rather than consistently bowling within his hitting zone, especially considering his injury limitations.
“Afghanistan bowled too straight to Maxwell, should have bowled at the 7th stump because he was injured and could not reach the ball,” Ganguly told Kolkata TV.
Despite physical discomfort, Maxwell’s unbeaten 203-run partnership with Pat Cummins for the eighth wicket showcased his sheer dominance, smashing 21 boundaries and 10 sixes. Ganguly, acknowledging the extraordinary nature of Maxwell’s innings, hailed it as potentially one of the greatest in ODI history.
Ganguly speculated that Afghanistan mentor Ajay Jadeja might be disheartened by the bowlers’ performance, suggesting they erred in consistently bowling into Maxwell’s hitting zone rather than exploiting his vulnerabilities. Ganguly attributed the bowlers’ focus on Maxwell’s pads as a missed opportunity, noting the necessity to bowl wide to counter his strategy.
“Ajay Jadeja must be crying. They bowled too much into his pads. He was only standing and slogging. They had to bowl wide. Don’t want to take anything away from Maxwell. Probably the Greatest ODI innings you’ll see,” he added.
Jadeja’s role as the mentor of the Afghanistan team in the 2023 World Cup was crucial, contributing to the team’s commendable display with four victories out of nine matches. Despite an initially promising trajectory towards their maiden World Cup semi-final, consecutive losses to Australia and South Africa dashed their aspirations, leading to their exit from the tournament.
