Warner, Marsh smash tons as Australia thrash Pakistan

Bengaluru: Five-time champion Australia registed their second win the World Cup here on Friday night as they beat Pakistan by 62 runs.

After scoring 367 runs, the Aussies restricted Pakistan at 305 runs in 45.3 overs.

Invited to bat first, brutal hundreds by David Warner and Mitchell Marsh led Australia's batting renaissance as they piled a hefty 367 for 9.

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.

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.

In reply, Pakistan started positively as the openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq put on 134 runs in just 20 overs. Marcus Stoinis claimed both the openers in successive overs. 23-year-old Shafique was first to go after scoring 64 runs from 61 balls while Imam-ul-Haq struck 70 off 71 balls. Captain Babar Azam (18) went back quickly, but the middle orders fought hard to keep up the momentum. In-form Mohammad Rizwan contributed 46 from 40 balls while Saud Shakeel added 30. Aussie spinner Adam Zampa broke the Pakistani middle order by claiming 4 wickets for 53 runs.

Marcus Stonis and Pat Cummins took two wickets each while Mitchell Strac and Josh Hazlewood grabbed one wicket each. Agencies

Also Read:Mohamed Salah Urges Immediate Aid for Gaza, Condemns "Massacres"

Also Watch: