Glenn Maxwell sets the history books on fire with a wrecking ball innings against the Netherlands

Glenn Maxwell scored his century in just 40 balls to create a new ICC Cricket World Cup fastest century record.

Most people probably didn’t have the World Cup fastest century record being broken during twice during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on their bingo cards, but the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi has been a batting paradise. Only three weeks ago, South Africa’s Aiden Markram ripped apart Sri Lanka with a 49-ball to set a new record.

However, the night of October 25 proved to watershed moment for aggressive batting in the ODI World Cup. Few things can sum up the ridiculousness and audacity of Glenn Maxwell’s record-shattering heroics than numbers. The Australian showman came out to bat during the first ball of the 40^th over. And it took nine balls for him to first get on strike. In all of List A cricket, he is the latest entrant to score a century.

To bring up his half-century, Maxwell took 27 balls. He needed only another 13 to get to the three-figure-mark. Only nine overs were bowled between the time that Maxwell faced his first ball and by the time he got out on 106 amidst a raucous ovation. At the beginning of his innings, Australia had looked like they were struggling their way to 300 and by the end of it, they were comfortably close to 400. It is the fastest century by any Australian in this format and only three centuries in ODI internationals have come in fewer balls than Maxwell’s monumental effort.

But what the numbers don’t tell is the way the story unfolded. That before Maxwell’s carnage, Australia looked like they were set for another fizzled batting effort following a promising start. That Maxwell had got out on a duck in the last game trying to go big in order to quickly score runs for his team. And that some of the shots he pulled off in this game look like they were made in a lab to go viral on Instagram and Twitter.

There’s obviously the switch hit for six off Bas De Leede despite having been deceived by the change of pace just before it. And the reverse ramp off an almost-yorker from de Leede that seemed destined for his off stump. There were the bottom-handed slashes over backward point and the glorious hits over deep midwicket. Six, six, six. In fact, Maxwell hit eight sixes throughout the night and brought up another 36 runs in boundaries! Only 22 runs came off from 1s and 2s.

Maxwell, who also owns the fourth-fastest World Cup century, with a 51-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in 2015, admitted in the post-match presentation that the record books had been on his mind for a while and often, to his own detriment. In the past, he has often gone overboard trying to chase these records.

"I'm very aware of them," Maxwell said. "I'm very aware of balls faced. I love the fastest 50, fastest 100 records. I think they're pretty cool records. Sometimes to the detriment of myself, I've always probably pushed the boundaries a bit too much.

"I think against Afghanistan in 2015, I was 88 off [38] and I was like 'I'm getting it in the next two balls'. I hit one straight to cover and butchered it. I think I got my fastest hundred next game.

"I've been in those positions before where I could make fast hundreds when I get on the run - I know I'm difficult to bowl to. It's just about getting past the first ball."

The Big Show is now playing in his third World Cup campaign and he has had a ridiculous World Cup career  - 656 runs in 21 innings at a strike rate of 162.37. He is by far the fastest scoring batter among anyone with a World Cup career of more than four innings. The next best on the list is former New Zealand captain and current Bazball innovator Brendon McCullum who operated at a comparatively sedentary 120.84.

There are few moments in the sport that can get fans to remember where they were and what they were wearing while witnessing a moment of pure extravaganza. Those in attendance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 25 can proudly claim that they were there when history was being made.