Had back spasm: Glenn Maxwell on facing cramps during marvellous double ton

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was almost forced to retire due to multiple cramping and back spasms, but he defied reason by continuing to play and producing one of the greatest ODI hits in game history.

Maxwell admitted that when Australia was still more than 50 runs from victory, he nearly retired hurt during his incredible World Cup innings because of cramping in both legs and his back.

Star all-rounder's unbeaten double-century will undoubtedly be talked about for years to come. Maxwell became the first non-opener in men's ODIs to make a double hundred. Maxwell put up what was dubbed the best performance in ODI history, finishing at 201 off 128 balls, reaching his double and concluding the match with a ninth six.

The 35-year-old was limping through for one until his discomfort finally got the better of him and he dropped in a heap.

He was on 147 at the time, with his team still needing 55 to win, and his exhaustion from bowling his entire 10-over quota during the hottest portion of the day had only made matters worse.

"We talked about coming off, trying to get some work into my back and trying to loosen up my legs a little bit. Jonesy (Nick Jones) the physio said it would be really hard for me to come back down the stairs after that. We just came up with 'let's stay at the same end' for as long as you can until you feel like you can walk to the other end or if there's an easy single here and there," Maxwell told cricket.com.au.

"It was a strange one because I was cramping in one of my toes, which was going up the front of my shin. Then as I set off to try and get down the other end, I cramped in my calf as well. I was cramping both sides of my lower leg, and as I went 'oh no, I'm cramping' I cramped in my left hamstring at the same time. I was like, I've got both legs cramping, and then I had a back spasm when I hit the ground," the all-rounder said.

Maxwell hit 33 balls in a row for 78, hardly moving as he swung at the ball but still finding the boundary every time.

Along with captain Pat Cummins, who would finish on 12 off 68 balls in two hours at the crease, Maxwell added that he really began to believe the miracle would be possible when the required total dropped to around 60 or 70 runs. The most important thing on his mind was making sure Afghanistan's main spinner Rashid Khan did not have a significant impact in his final few overs after removing Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc.

"We knew Rashid had about 18 balls left that was going to happen in the last 13 overs or something like that. As long as we kept him out of the game I felt like I could hit boundaries off the others. So was more about negating him, not letting him have a shot at the rest of the tail. If we could keep him out of the backend of the game we'd be alright," he said.

The right-hander, who had first got physio treatment when he was on 109, went on to knock seven more sixes and nine more fours in an almost unbelievable display that concluded the chase.

Australia captain gestured to Adam Zampa, the number-ten, who was waiting to replace Maxwell on the edge of the outfield after coming down the stairs from the changing rooms.

"But once I sort of calmed my breathing down, and I had the physio out there and he sort of talked me through it, what it was going to be like. I had one person pushing my foot, one person lifting my leg. It was strange. But that actually probably made the whole job a little bit more simple. I wasn't overthinking the situation. I just knew if I got a ball that I could hit I'd try and hit it," Maxwell added.

The duo of Maxwell and Cummins stayed unbeaten as the five-time champions successfully completed the chase and secured a place in the knockout stages of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, while the all-rounder smashed multiple records in an all-time incredible innings.