Glenn Maxwell recreated his magic and enthralled spectators with his scintillating shot making in the third T20I in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Playing his 100th T20I, Maxwell arrived at the crease in the final over of the powerplay and his 104 off 48 balls helped Australia clinch a last ball victory in a thrilling contest to stay alive in the five-match series.
With his explosive stoke-making Maxwell turned the match on its head.
Needing 21 runs off the last over from Prasidh Krishna, Australia Captain Matthew Wade, who made 28 not out, took five runs from the first two balls getting Maxwell on strike.
Maxwell hit the third ball for a six, and followed it with a hat-trick of fours to seal a thrilling victory.
With the 47-ball ton, Maxwell joined Aaron Finch and Josh Inglis (earlier in the T20I series) for the fastest ton by an Australian in men's T20Is.
Tuesday's ton saw Maxwell equal Rohit Sharma's record for the most centuries in men's T20Is with his fourth hundred in the format. Maxwell achieved this feat way faster than Rohit, taking just 92 innings.
In 100 T20I matches, Maxwell has scored 2,275 runs at an average of 29.54 and a strike rate of over 153, with four centuries and 10 fifties. His best score is 145* in this format.
Behind David Warner (2,894 runs) and Aaron Finch (3,120 runs), he is Australia's third-highest run-getter in T20Is.
If Maxwell continues in this vein, he is sure to guide Australia to another World Cup triumph come the T20 World Cup next year.
