"Cricket is a funny game" - Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi on Glenn Maxwell's 201*

Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi regretted the dropped chances but accepted cricket's unpredictability after Glenn Maxwell's stellar 201* (128) defeated his team in the 2023 World Cup on Tuesday.

Chasing 292, Maxwell and Pat Cummins got together after Afghanistan blew Australia's top and middle order off to reduce them to 91/7. Mujeeb ur Rahman dropped Maxwell when he was 33 before Afghanistan missed a handful of half-chances.

But the all-rounder kept batting through and smashing boundaries. At one time, down with cramps and a few injuries, that's all he could do - stand still and hit - but somehow, the quality and power behind his hits kept getting better. Maxwell ended with 21 boundaries, 10 sixes, and a strike rate of 157.03 in the three-wicket heist.

"Very disappointed," Shahidi said after the match. "Cricket is a funny game, it was unbelievable for us. We were in the game, our bowlers started very well and the dropped chances hurt us. After that, Maxwell didn't stop, he played every kind of shot and I can give credit to him."

"I think the dropped catches were the key, after that Maxwell played really well. Our bowlers tried their best but he didn't give any chance to us," he added.

This was the first double ton in a run-chase, only the second by an Australian in ODIs, and the highest score by an Australian in men's ODIs.

"Proud of the team" - Hasmatullah Shahidi

Maxwell's knock overshadowed young opener Ibrahim Zadran's 129 (143) in the first innings, the first hundred by an Afghan in the World Cup.

"Proud of the team, but we will be disappointed tonight. We didn't think it would be this way, part of the game. This is cricket. We will try to come back strong against South Africa. He (Zadran) must be proud of himself, I am also proud that he is the first Afghan with a WC hundred," Shahidi said.

Afghanistan are still in contention for a semi-final spot but their match against South Africa on Friday is now a must-win.