Top 5 batting performances from Week 5 of 2023 World Cup ft. Glenn Maxwell
After a total of 45 games and five weeks of incredible action, the round-robin league-stage fixtures of the ongoing ICC men's ODI World Cup 2023 are now in the history books.
India capped off the group-stage encounters after their handsome 160-run win over the Netherlands in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 12.
With their victory, Team India continued their spotless run in the tournament and will now face New Zealand in the first semi-final in Mumbai on Wednesday (November 15). The second semi-final will see South Africa take on Australia in Kolkata on Thursday (November 16).
The last week of the group-stage fixtures saw some power-packed action, with all teams battling hard to enter the final four. Barring a few games, most of the matches witnessed some high-scoring affairs.
The pitches in India didn't deteriorate, with a total of 6,672 runs getting scored by the 10 teams at a scoring rate of 5.92 across the last 13 games.
On that note, let's take a look at the five best batting performances from Week 5 of the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup.
Note: Only games from Match 33 (IND vs SL) to Match 45 (IND vs NED) of the World Cup have been taken into consideration.
#5 Virat Kohli - 101* off 121 vs South Africa in Kolkata
![Virat Kohli at the Eden Gardens [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/712f7-16998693181251-1920.jpg?w=500)
On his 35th birthday, Virat Kohli gave Indian fans a perfect gift as he clobbered his much-anticipated 49th ODI century against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
With his magnificent knock, he equalled his idol Sachin Tendulkar's record of hitting the joint-most hundreds in one-day international history.
On a deck, that held up a bit, Kohli put away all the bad balls and helped his side score an above-par total of 326/5. He stood rock-solid at one end and frustrated the Proteas bowlers for the entire innings.
Despite the slowness of the surface, Kohli stood tall and batted for over 44 overs. He stitched together a 134-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, who also scored a brilliant 77.
With the help of 10 boundaries, Kohli hit 101* off 121 balls and was adjudged the Player of the Match as well.
#4 Shreyas Iyer - 128* off 94 vs Netherlands in Bengaluru
![Shreyas Iyer after his maiden ODI WC hundred [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/5718e-16998728559249-1920.jpg)
After a couple of half-centuries, Shreyas Iyer finally got his maiden ODI World Cup hundred when he hammered 128* off 94 balls against the Netherlands in Bengaluru.
After Rohit Sharma (61), Shubman Gill (51), and Virat Kohli (51) gave the perfect start to the innings, Iyer took the onus of batting in the middle and death overs.
Using his incredible bat swing, the Mumbai-born lad led the charge and smashed 10 boundaries and five sixes during his knock.
He added a 208-run stand for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul, who himself hit the fastest century for India in ODI World Cups (in 62 balls). The two batters gave a fantastic finish to the innings and batted out the Netherlands by posting up 410/4 in 50 overs.
Iyer didn't shy away from playing lofted strokes from time to time and was adamant in remaining unbeaten till the end.
#3 Mitchell Marsh - 177 off 132 vs Bangladesh in Pune
In their last league game, Australia were handed a target of 307 by Bangladesh in Pune. Australia, who never chased down a 300+ total in World Cups, made a mockery of the target as they eased past the total in 44.4 overs.
Mitch Marsh was one of the main factors in Australia's decisive victory. With all of his might, the all-round player recorded his highest individual ODI score. He came out all guns blazing and found boundaries at will.
During his innings, Marsh didn't hesitate to go aerial, hammering 17 boundaries and nine powerful maximums. Marsh reached his century in 87 balls and proved his domination over the Bangladeshi bowlers with some lovely strokeplay.
He even endured some cramps while batting but continued to keep the flow of runs going. He smoked his next 77 runs in 45 balls and remained unbeaten at 177* off 132 balls.
Marsh added an unbeaten stand of 175 with Steve Smith (63*), which guided Australia home.
#2 Fakhar Zaman - 126* off 81 vs New Zealand in Bengaluru
![Fakhar Zaman acknowledging his hundred vs NZ [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/84577-16998749674003-1920.jpg)
Fakhar Zaman did what only he could've done for Pakistan when he single-handedly cruised his side over the line against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
The flamboyant left-hander raced away to 126 runs off only 81 deliveries to help his side win the encounter by 21 runs via the DLS method.
Chasing a mammoth target of 402, Zaman lost his opening partner Abdullah Shafique in the second over. However, the asking rate was such that he couldn't afford to have a cautious start.
He showed no respite against the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, and Ish Sodhi. With his massive bat swing and forceful power, Zaman scored boundaries for fun and looked capable of sending anything out of the park.
After reaching his fifty in 39 balls, he hammered off-spinner Glenn Phillips for three sixes and two fours in only eight balls. Zaman exhibited a phenomenal batting performance and always kept his team ahead of the DLS par score before continuous rain halted the match.
After the cut-off time was completed, Pakistan were declared the winner, and Zaman was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroics.
#1 Glenn Maxwell - 201* off 128 vs Afghanistan in Mumbai
![Glenn Maxwell delivered one of the greatest ODI knocks of all-time [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/039d6-16998755572915-1920.jpg)
No surprises here, with Glenn Maxwell's "once-in-a-lifetime" knock being the best among the lot. His innings just didn't set up the entire week, but he gave the tournament an exceptional doze of astonishment.
The 'Big Show' became the first-ever Australian to hit a double century in an ODI, snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat after his side was staring down the barrel at 91/7.
Maxwell displayed steely courage to come up with a landmark knock in what appeared like a gargantuan pursuit. He was the only one who could take down an exceptionally skilled Afghan bowling unit, denying them a chance to pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Despite battling through serious cramps and a back spasm, he remained dauntless and fought his way through pain to script an unthinkable run-chase. He cleared everything that came in his arc and clobbered 21 fours and 10 big maximums to end up with a spectacular score of 201* off 128 balls.