Tunbridge Wells And Wankhede: When Cummins' Lieutenants Remained 'Fixated' Like Kapil's Devils

It was a cold morning in Tunbridge Wells back then in 1983 and after 40 years, the warm evening at the Wankhede carried the same vibes. It was Kapil Dev back then and it was Glenn Maxwell now. It was 17 for 5 against an unheralded Zimbabwe team full of professionals playing league cricket in England back then and on Tuesday night, it was 91 for 7 against an Afghanistan attack full of T20 league freelancers across the globe. The similarities don't end there.

On June 25, 1983, team manager PR Man Singh didn't allow Krishnamachari Srikkanth to take a leak as Kapil bulldozed the Peter Rawsons and Kevin Currans. Everyone was told to stay put where they are till Kapil was batting.

Superstitions and cricket have had a long standing relationship and when Maxwell was on a carnage, the Australian players were "fixated" in their designated dressing room positions till he swatted Mujeeb ur Rahaman for a six.

"I was sitting with George Bailey and Zamps (Adam Zampa) kept floating in and out. He was probably a bit nervous at the end but everyone was sort of fixated (on) where they were and sort of set up our camp," Josh Hazlewood told the media here after Australia won the game and qualified for the semifinals.

Maxwell battled cramps to produce an innings of a lifetime — certainly one of the best ODI and World Cup knocks ever — to guide Australia to a three-wicket win over Afghanistan mastering a stunning chase.

The 'Big Show' teamed up with Australia captain Pat Cummins with their team staring at a massive defeat, reduced to 91 for seven chasing 292. But a 202-run unbeaten record stand for the eighth wicket saw Australia overhauling the target with 3.1 overs to spare and Maxwell being heralded for one of the best innings ever.

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