Maxwell smashes fifth T20I ton, equals Rohit Sharma's historic feat
Adelaide (Australia) (PTI): Glenn Maxwell continued his imperious form as he smashed a 55-ball 120 not out to equal Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's record of most centuries (five) in the T20I format here on Sunday.
Batting at No. 4, Maxwell unleashed his fury against the West Indies bowlers, smacking 12 fours and eight sixes to bring up his century in 50 balls.
His knock propelled Australia to a mammoth 241/4. In reply, the hosts restricted the West Indies to 207/9 to win the second T20I by 34 runs.
Maxwell's last nine international scores for Australia now read 106, 41, 201 not out, 1, 2 not out, 12, 104 not out, 10 and 120 not out.
"It was good fun," Maxwell said at the mid-innings break.
"Just gave myself a chance. It's a really nice wicket. Nice to cash in and spend most of the time out there. I've always relied on my hand speed to get me out of trouble... and it really seemed to work for me today."
Maxwell was also fastest to reach five centuries, touching the landmark in 93 innings, compared to Rohit's 143 innings.
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Vijayan, Tharoor present at Vizhinjam port : Modi says it will give 'sleepless nights' to many
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a swipe at the Congress, saying the presence of its MP Shashi Tharoor at the commissioning of the Vizhinjam International Seaport here will give "sleepless nights" to many.
Modi's direct mention of Tharoor's presence at the event comes at a time when the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram is being accused by his own party colleagues of going soft on the BJP after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tharoor has also been criticised by some Congress leaders for praising India's deft diplomacy on the Russia-Ukraine conflict under Modi's leadership.
The Prime Minister also described Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan, who was also present at the inauguration, as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc.
"I would like to say to our chief minister, you are a big and strong pillar of the INDI Alliance. Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here, and I would like to say that today's event will take away the sleep of many," Modi said.
However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly, and it prompted Modi to say: "The message has gone across to whom it was meant".
Tharoor, who received Modi on his arrival on Thursday, posted on X:" Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency. Looking forward to his officially commissioning Vizhinjam port, a project I have been proud to have been involved with since its inception."
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan did not attend the commissioning of the Vizhinjam port, protesting the late invitation extended to him for the function.
Satheesan had expressed his ire against the government for not acknowledging the pivotal role played by the previous UDF government led by Oommen Chandy in establishing the port by signing an agreement with the Adani Group and carrying out the initial works.
In March, Tharoor praised the government's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war as an endorsement of India's deft diplomacy under Modi's leadership.
Tharoor was also criticised by his party colleague Udit Raj for his reported "no country has 100-per cent foolproof intelligence" remarks after the Pahalgam terror attack. Being a Congressman, how did Tharoor become the BJP's lawyer and give the ruling party a "clean chit" on the Pahalgam terror attack, Udit Raj wondered. Tharoor hit back at Raj, saying the latter is a former Bharatiya Janata Party MP and "is better qualified to understand who speaks for the BJP".
