Australia’s momentum is building in the World Cup as they crushed the Netherlands by a massive 309 runs in Delhi, with Glenn Maxwell’s rapid century setting a new record for the tournament.

Australia bounced back from two initial losses at the World Cup in India by securing three consecutive victories on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT). They showed no mercy against the Dutch, who had previously surprised the dominant South African team last week.

This victory surpassed the previous record for the largest margin of victory in a World Cup match, which was set by Australia with a 275-run win over Afghanistan in 2015.

After facing a challenging score of 8-399 from Australia, the Netherlands surrendered at Arun Jaitley Stadium and finished with a total of 90 runs in the 21st over.

Adam Zampa, the spinner, took 4-8 and achieved his third consecutive four-wicket haul. This led to the collapse of the Dutch tail, with five wickets falling for only six runs, ultimately ending their innings.

Following a subpar start in the first two games, Zampa has emerged as the top wicket-taker in the tournament with a total of 13.

However, it was the mysterious Maxwell who will certainly dominate the news for the next few days for his exceptional performance in this innings, which is impressive even for him.

Rephrased: After not having the opportunity to bat until the 41st over, the 35-year-old entered the game with a score of 4-266 and quickly reached his third century in just 40 balls.

Maxwell scored 106 runs off of 44 balls in the final over, showcasing a dynamic performance with reverse ramps, nine boundaries, and eight sixes.

Living up to his old nickname of “The Big Show”, Maxwell smashed the previous record for fastest World Cup century, set by South Africa star Aiden Markram (49 balls) at the same ground just 18 days ago.

Maxwell surpassed his previous record for the fastest ODI century by an Australian, which was achieved in the 2015 World Cup match against Sri Lanka.

Bas de Leede, a bowler from the Netherlands, bore the brunt of Maxwell’s powerful hits, with his figures of 2-115 being the costliest in ODI history.

David Warner scored a remarkable 104 runs, becoming the top century-maker for Australia in ODI World Cups, but his achievement was overshadowed by the impressive fireworks display put on by the Victorians.

The experienced opening batsman achieved his sixth century in the top tournament for the 50-over format, surpassing Ricky Ponting’s five centuries.

Warner was fortunate enough to score his second consecutive hundred, just five days after achieving a score of 163 against Pakistan.

The left-handed player avoided being run out when he was at 32 runs, as both Warner and Steve Smith ended up at the same base.

Roelof van der Merwe seemed to have put an end to Warner’s 73-run innings, but upon further review, it was revealed that the ball had touched the ground while in the hands of the experienced Dutch player.

Smith scored 71 runs, which was his first fifty of the tournament. In the next over, van der Merwe managed to make a fantastic catch and Smith was out.

Marnus Labuschagne, who may soon be replaced by Travis Head, scored his highest World Cup score of 62 runs in 47 balls.

Australia made the decision to exclude Head from the team after he arrived in India this week, following his recovery from a hand fracture.

However, Head is expected to be a strong contender for the crucial match against New Zealand on Saturday, as the Black Caps currently hold the third spot on the table, one rank above Australia.

Source: theguardian.com