India, Nov. 3 -- Bas de Leede bowled a full delivery at the stumps in the 47th over of the Australia vs Netherlands match at the 2023 ODI World Cup. Glenn Maxwell reversed his stance and sent it sailing for a maximum. Two balls later, the bowler tried something different. He went shorter and slower this time. Maxwell again reversed his stance and hit another six. He completed his century in just 40 balls, the fastest in men's ODI World Cup history.

Those two deliveries illustrated what made Glenn Maxwell special. His dynamic range of shots allowed him to attack different parts of a field on two similar deliveries. He made life difficult for opposition captains, as conventional field settings were rarely enough to restrict him. As the 38-...