SYDNEY:
Glenn Maxwell hit a spectacular maiden one-day international century to drive Australia to an imposing 376 for nine in their World Cup Pool A clash with Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The first hundred of Maxwell’s 102 runs came off 51 balls, just one shy of the record for the quickest World Cup century, and he shared a 160-run partnership with Shane Watson, who hit 67 to celebrate his recall to the team.
Looking to secure second place in the pool behind New Zealand and avoid a quarter-final meeting with India or South Africa, the Australians had initially batted with caution at a sun-bathed Sydney Cricket Ground.
Steve Smith and skipper Michael Clarke steadied the innings with half centuries after openers David Warner (nine) and Aaron Finch (24) had been dismissed inside the first 10 overs.
Smith and Clarke’s partnership of 134 took Australia to 175 for two before they departed in successive overs having laid a solid platform for the ballistics to come.
Clarke, who won the toss and sent his team in to bat, hit a run-a-ball 68 before being comprehensively bowled by one of Lasith Malinga’s trademark yorkers.
That brought Maxwell to the crease and after Smith had been caught in the deep for 72, he decided to play his natural game and take on the Sri Lanka bowlers.
Displaying the full array of shots in his prodigious armoury, Maxwell secured his third half-century of the tournament from 26 balls with his third six in little over half an hour.
He was dropped by a back-peddling Kumar Sangakkara on 95 and there was a nervous wait on 99, his chance of sharing the World Cup record with Irishman Kevin O’Brien disappearing when the umpire ruled a leg bye off the 50th ball he faced.
The century came up soon enough with two runs to mid-off, though, and his emotional celebration after reaching the milestone in his 43rd one-day innings was a graphic explanation of what it meant to a player often dismissed as a show-pony.
He got a big bear-hug from Watson, who continued the assault on the Sri Lanka bowlers once Maxwell had been caught off a Thisara Perera full toss having hit 10 fours and four sixes in his 75-minute knock.
Watson had a point to prove after being dropped from Australia’s previous match against Afghanistan and he grabbed his first half-century in his last seven innings.