Australia has achieved a historic victory, marking the highest-ever margin of victory by runs in the history of the Cricket World Cup. It was an overwhelming defeat for the Netherlands, who likely didn’t anticipate such a significant loss.
Australia posted a formidable total of 399 runs, largely thanks to exceptional centuries from Warner and Maxwell. With early breakthroughs by Starc and a run-out that sent back Vikramjit Singh, who was in good form, the match quickly became one-sided.
Mitch Marsh, who hasn’t bowled much lately, managed to take two wickets, and then Zampa contributed with a relatively inexpensive four-wicket haul, adding to his two similar performances in previous games.
This victory significantly improves Australia’s Net Run Rate (NRR), making them strong contenders not only for the semi-finals but also for winning the tournament.
However, for the Netherlands, the only consolation may be the opportunity to learn from this experience and return as a stronger team. The match concluded very early in Delhi.
Glenn Maxwell was declared player of the match for his unforgettable innings.
Earlier, Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat against the Netherlands in the World Cup match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday.
The Netherlands made a decent recovery in the middle overs by taking three wickets in 19 balls. However, when Glenn Maxwell entered the scene, he completely turned the game around. Australia had reached 268/5, and shortly after, Green was dismissed with a brilliant runout.
Maxwell was the only powerful hitter remaining, and what could have been a total of 330 was transformed by Maxwell. He made extensive use of reverse sweeps and dismantled the Netherlands bowlers.
They attempted to bowl in the right spots and vary their deliveries, but Maxwell capitalized on every opportunity. He achieved a fifty in just 26 balls and a hundred in 40 balls, setting the record for the fastest World Cup century.
The 48th and 49th overs yielded 21 and 28 runs, respectively. Warner and Smith provided a strong foundation, although Smith was caught brilliantly by van der Merwe, minutes after a catch of Warner was ruled out because it had touched the ground.
Warner went on to score a century, but the real star of the show was Maxwell, who put on an impressive display. Van Beek took four wickets, while de Leede, despite conceding 115 runs, managed to secure two wickets.
In the end, Australia made a huge total of 399 on the board, which will be a daunting task for the Netherlands.
After the innings Glenn Maxwell said that felt pretty good. I’ve been pretty cooked all day. I probably just cleared my head a bit to just go out and play. When Davey and Greeny got out, I had to take it a little bit deep.
