Cricket Corner: Maxwell arrives as Mathews runs out of time

In a nod to the longest form of the game - Test cricket - the article is broken into three sections to mirror the main intervals in a day’s play. Lunch - the main course, the biggest stories. Tea - something a little lighter, dessert if you will. And Stumps (the end of play) - something to ponder over a few drinks at the bar.

Lunch - Mathews runs out of time

Undoubtedly the most controversial story in cricket this week was Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews being ’timed out’ against Bangladesh in the World Cup group stage clash between the two already-eliminated sides. In case you missed it, or just don’t understand - there is a law in cricket that states that a batter can be given out if they are not ready to face their first ball within a stipulated amount of time after the dismissal which brought them to the crease. In the case of this World Cup, it’s two minutes. It just so happens that, in 146 years of international cricket, no one has suffered this fate before. Until Mathews.

He came out after the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama initially on time only to be delayed by discovering his helmet strap was faulty. After two minutes had passed, Bangladesh’s captain, and the bowler at the time, Shakib Al Hasan appealed at the first possible chance and Mathews was given out by umpire Marais Erasmus, who had asked if Shakib was sure he wanted to appeal. Oh, he was sure. Was it technically out? Yes. Was it in the ‘spirit of the game’? Debatable. And there she is again, the dreaded Spirit of Cricket. Boo!

The incident sparked controversy on the field, after the match and in the media with Mathews and others blasting Shakib for the move.

Returning to the question above - was it in the spirit of the game? Personally, I don’t think so. Rather than a cheeky or interesting piece of skill that skirts the edges of the laws, Shakib’s appeal was simply cynical and opportunistic. In short, it wasn’t an act of cricket but an act of cunning.

I will leave you with one further thought on the matter, though - what is sport’s role if not to entertain? And was it entertaining? Hell yeah, it was! Sorry, Angelo, you’re out of time!

Tea - Magic Maxwell

They call him ‘The Big Show’ for a reason. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell pulled off one of the all-time great one-day international (ODI) innings on Tuesday as he (almost) single-handedly chased down Afghanistan’s total. After a slowish start, the Afghans posted a very competitive first-innings score of 291 which meant Australia had to reach what would be a record ODI chase at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. Not out of the question but tough.

At 91/7, it wasn't just looking tough, Australia looked dead and buried, and Afghanistan seemed to be flying towards another brilliant upset win. But then Maxwell did his thing. He scored 201 off 128 balls, the highest total in an ODI by an Australian ever and just the 11th 200-plus score in ODIs. (Fun fact: Rohit Sharma has three of those.)

Maxwell reached his double ton with a six that also won the match. The 202 runs scored between him and Pat Cummins for the eighth wicket was also a record. It was nothing short of incredible and that’s without considering the fact that he was suffering from cramps for the last few overs and could barely walk. A hobbling, helmet-less, forlorn-looking mess, Maxwell put on one truly Big Show.

At his worst, Maxwell can be frustratingly inconsistent but at his best - well, is there a more destructive batter? Earlier in the tournament, he scored the fastest century in a World Cup ever (off 40 balls) when he smashed 106 off 44 against the Netherlands. Then he went and essentially doubled that achievement on Tuesday.

Australia haven’t been at their most menacing this tournament but with Maxwell in this sort of form, just getting into the final puts them in the frame to win it. They’ve now booked their spot in the semis and can’t be written off from winning a record-extending sixth World Cup. There’s a little bit of magic in this ageing squad yet.

Stumps - Welcome to the pointy end

We are nearing the end of the group stage in India and things are getting very pointy indeed. Here’s the state of play: After Wednesday's match between the already-eliminated bottom two sides of England and the Netherlands, every team will have played eight, with one round remaining in the stage.

India have secured top spot while South Africa and Australia have qualified in some combination of second and third, meaning they will play each other in one of the semis and India will meet the side that finishes fourth.

Aside from England and the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are also out of the running as mentioned above. That leaves Afghanistan, New Zealand and Pakistan playing it out for fourth spot - they are currently level on points. None of those teams face each other in the final round of matches, though. If we go off the current standings, New Zealand should beat Sri Lanka in their last match and Pakistan should beat England while Afghanistan should lose to South Africa.

If that happens, or indeed, if any combination of results occurs that leaves more than one of those sides level on points after nine rounds, the semi-final berth will be determined by… (drum roll)… NET RUN RATE! Remember that guy? As it stands, New Zealand lead in that department, followed by Pakistan. Afghanistan have a lot of ground to make up there so are looking unlikely to scrape through but hey, crazier things happen in this World Cup alone! Just ask Glenn Maxwell.

After a flat start to the tournament, it’s safe to say that this World Cup has turned into a pretty entertaining spectacle. The big question remains, as raised at the beginning of the group stage, can anyone stop the sky-blue juggernaut that is India? It's difficult to see but it’s not a foregone conclusion. You never know, they just might run out of time during the Big Show.