Last Update on: November 11th, 2023 at 04:38 pm
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly criticized the Afghanistan bowlers for their performance during the match against Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023. Sourav Ganguly highlighted that the bowlers aided an injured Glenn Maxwell by bowling within his hitting zone.
Glenn Maxwell single-handedly guided the team to victory against Afghanistan in the league stage match. The batter rescued the team from a challenging situation at 91/7 during the chase. He scored an unbeaten 201 runs while chasing down a target of 292 runs in Mumbai.
Glenn Maxwell Was Injured And Could Not Reach The Ball – Sourav Gangly
In a conversation with Kolkata TV, Sourav Ganguly emphasized that Afghanistan bowlers should have targeted Glenn Maxwell’s off-stump instead of bowling within his hitting zone. Ganguly felt Afghanistan missed the opportunity to exploit Maxwell’s 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.
Maxwell formed an unbeaten 202-run partnership with Pat Cummins for the eighth wicket. The destructive batter hit 21 boundaries and 10 sixes despite physical discomfort. Australia successfully chased down the target with more than three overs to spare.
Ajay Jadeja Must Be Crying – Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was impressed by Glenn Maxwell’s exceptional innings, calling it possibly one of the greatest ODI innings ever played. Ganguly mentioned that Afghanistan mentor Ajay Jadeja might be disappointed with the bowlers’ performance.
“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.
Ajay Jadeja was appointed as the mentor of the Afghanistan team for the World Cup 2023. The former India captain played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s success in the marquee event, with the team securing four victories out of nine matches in the tournament.
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team was on track to reach their first-ever World Cup semi-final. However, losses in their last two matches against Australia and South Africa led to their elimination from the prestigious tournament in India.
Also read: “Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj Not The Best Indian Bowling Trio..”- Sourav Ganguly
