Brutal hundreds by David Warner and Mitchell Marsh led Australia's batting renaissance in the World Cup as they piled up a hefty 367 for 9 against a listless Pakistan, in Bengaluru on Friday. (Scorecard | Streaming | Preview | Full Coverage)
Warner hammered his 21st ODI hundred, a 124-ball 163, and Marsh his second, a 108-ball 121, as the five-time champions twisted the knife on their opposition through their opening pair who built a massive 259-run association in just 203 balls.
It was only fourth instance in World Cup history that both openers notched centuries in the same match.
Australia, who were asked to bat first, needed a dominant show to spruce up their confidence after three middling efforts that fetched two defeats and a win in this tournament, and they did it with a bang.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi's five-wicket haul (5/54) was just a sad reminder as to what other Pakistan bowlers could have done with a bit of thinking on a vastly underwhelming day.
Warner, who was dropped twice on 10 and 105, and Marsh were at their marauding best against a Pakistan attack that lacked direction on a smooth M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch with a quick outfield adding value to the shots too.
They were either too full, too short or strayed on to the legs, and the Aussie batters did not need any second invitation to exploit the flowing freebies.
All this could have been a tad different for Pakistan had Usama Mir, who replaced Shadab Khan, held on to a simple skier from Warner off Afridi, the best among Pakistan bowlers this day with his clever variations, inside the ring.
Warner was on 10 then in Australia's total of 22.
From that point, there was no looking back for the Aussies. Pakistan captain Babar Azam gave the ball to Haris Rauf in the ninth over, hoping for a breakthrough.
But the Aussies slipped into the top gear from that over. The right-arm pacer was carted for 24 runs in his first over. Warner started the carnage with a four and six and Marsh finished it with three fours in succession.
Thereafter, Australia’s run-rate hardly came under seven for the rest of the innings.
Hasan Ali found some early movement away from Marsh, but Warner took him head on with a series of pulls and flicks, including a monster six that thudded on to the roof, to neutralize the pacer.
Pakistan pressed their spinners Mir and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawas into service but they made zero impact.
They were quite unimaginative, and just kept feeding both Warner and Marsh, who preferred the ground route early on in his innings, with short balls which were effortlessly put away.
Australia notched up their 100 in the 13th over, 200th in the 30th over and 300 in the 41st over as their run machine marched forward inexorably.
Warner brought up his hundred, fourth consecutive against Pakistan in ODIs, with a single off Mir, and the signature jump-and-punch celebration followed to the joy of a near full house of crowd, that encouraged both the sides.
Birthday boy Marsh followed his senior partner soon in reaching the three-figure mark with a boundary off Mir, and he celebrated the landmark with a mighty roar.
Marsh departed soon when his flick off Afridi was snaffled by Mir at short fine leg, a rare occasion for a Pakistan fielder to hold on to a catch on a day when they dropped three catches in all along with numerous other fumbles on the field.
He walked back only after helping Warner to realise the second-best opening stand in World Cups after 282 between Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga in 2011.
Post Marsh’s dismissal, Pakistan did manage to pluck some quick wickets including that of Warner scalp but Australia by then had reached the batting stratosphere.
