The proverbial fat lady was already seated at the boundary’s edge.
The Australian team had disgraced itself, when it mattered most and you would think that with some certainty they were headed home, with their tails between their legs.
After all, Afghanistan had muscled a healthy 291 for 5 in their 50 overs and now they were tottering at 91 for 7.
Glen Maxwell, one of the world’s finest all-rounders, stepped up to the plate and shared a remarkable partnership with his captain Pat Cummins, of 202 runs, of which Cummins managed a stodgy 12 runs.
Even though suffering from cramps and in obvious pain, Maxwell slammed 21 fours and 10 sixes, the last one taking him to the significant milestone of 201 and a miraculous win for the Aussies.
Summarized scores: Australia 293 for 7 (Maxwell 201*) beat Afghanistan 291 for 5 (Ibrahim 129*, Rashid 35*) by three wickets