Australia defeated Pakistan by 62 runs in the ICC World Cup 2023 match.
Openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh played explosive innings, propelling Australia to a formidable total of 367-9 against a faltering Pakistan side. After being sent in to bat on a flat Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, Warner had a stroke of luck early in the match, surviving a leg-before appeal off the very first ball. He was also dropped on 10 in the fifth over. Despite these close calls, Warner went on to unleash a punishing 163 off 124 balls.
Meanwhile, Marsh, celebrating his 32nd birthday, contributed significantly with a spectacular 121 off 108 balls. The pair set a new Australian World Cup opening stand record, amassing 259 runs by the 34th over, much to the delight of the 30,000-strong crowd in attendance.
Pakistan, known for their previous successful chases, had set a high standard with their 345-run chase against Sri Lanka just ten days prior, marking the highest run-chase in World Cup history. Their highest ODI chase was also against Australia, where they successfully pursued 349 runs in Lahore the previous year.
Warner’s innings was filled with 14 boundaries and nine towering sixes, as both he and Marsh took the Pakistan bowlers to task. Marsh’s contribution featured ten boundaries and nine sixes.
The outstanding partnership, only 23 runs short of the World Cup opening record set by Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan in 2011, was greatly aided by subpar bowling and fielding from the Pakistani side.
The turning point in the innings came when Warner mishit a shot off Shaheen Shah Afridi, and the ball ballooned into the air. However, Usama Mir, who had replaced Shadab Khan in the team, failed to make the catch, offering Warner a vital reprieve. Warner and Marsh capitalized on this opportunity by hitting four boundaries and a six off pacer Haris Rauf’s first over, accumulating 24 runs in total.
Australia got off to a flying start, scoring 82 runs in the first power-play and reaching the 200-run mark in the 30th over. Warner reached his second World Cup century, and 21st overall, while Marsh achieved his second ODI hundred, both milestones coming in the same over bowled by spinner Mohammad Nawaz.
Ironically, it was Usama Mir who managed to break the formidable partnership by catching Marsh off Shaheen in the 34th over. However, Glenn Maxwell, who was sent in to maintain the momentum, was dismissed for a duck, caught by Babar Azam off Shaheen, and Steve Smith was caught and bowled by Mir for just seven runs.
Warner continued to wreak havoc, adding three more sixes to his tally before eventually falling to Rauf, caught at long-on. Notably, this partnership between Warner and Marsh surpassed Australia’s previous highest World Cup opening stand of 183, set by Brad Haddin and Shane Watson at the same venue in 2011.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who finished with figures of 5-54, made a crucial impact in the last ten overs, with Pakistan claiming six wickets for just 70 runs. Haris Rauf also contributed with 3 wickets, conceding 83 runs in his spell.
In summary, Australia posted a formidable total of 367-9, with David Warner’s explosive 163 and Mitchell Marsh’s dynamic 121 playing pivotal roles, setting the stage for an exciting contest in the World Cup clash against Pakistan.
Mitchell Marsh: said: “Nice to have that as a present on my birthday, feels like I’ve never gotten over 10 before. Partnership with Davey was awesome. We know this can be a high-scoring ground. I’ve played here a lot and missed out a lot. Nice to cash in, got a good start, they bowled well in the powerplay. We cashed in at the back end. We wanted to build through the partnership and launch towards the end. Didn’t do that but happy. Our communication in the opening stand was fantastic. Kept each other going, even when the spinners bowled well. Davey used his experience well. I tend not to celebrate tons too much but there was a fair bit of emption today. Proud of it. Hopefully, we’ll get a few wickets and get another win. There’s enough in the wicket, hope to get swing under lights. It’s a small ground, we’ll need all of those runs. Need to take a couple early, apply pressure and hold our lengths.”
