CWC 2023, Australia vs Pakistan: David Warner-Mitchell Marsh’s 259-run stand, Shaheen Afridi’s 5-54 and Adam Zampa’s 4-53 are top performances. Australia beat Pakistan by 62 runs and move to 4th place in points table.
Brief Scores: Australia 367/9 (Warner 163, Marsh 121, Shaheen 5/54) beat Pakistan 305/10 (Imam 70, Shafique 64, Zampa 4/53) by 62 runs.
Player of the Match: David Warner (163 in 124 balls)
Australia took on the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team in a crucial game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore at CWC 2023. While Australia got their campaign back on track with a win over Sri Lanka, Pakistan lost their last outing against India.
Babar won the toss and opted to field first, expectedly, in what looked a high-scoring game from the outset. They had a solitary change, with the off-color Shadab Khan getting dropped in favor of Usama Mir. Australia remained unchanged from their previous game.
Read More: Can Australia make a turnaround in World Cup 2023?
Talking point from Australia vs Pakistan, CWC 2023
The major talking point has to be the poor form of Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, who has just scored 83 runs from 4 games in this World Cup thus far. Pakistan will need him to step up on the big stage in coming games, as his form is crucial for the team when posting or chasing huge scores.
Australia began their innings on a positive note thanks to a lucky break involving Warner, who was dropped when on 10. This meant the Australian opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Warner making merry on a belter of a track. They piled up a huge 259 for the first wicket, smashing 18 sixes between them and laying a solid foundation.
However, Pakistan made a comeback, giving away just 70 runs in the last ten overs and restricting Australia to 367/9. This was largely thanks to a five-wicket haul from Shaheen Afridi and Rauf’s fine spell at the end.
Similarly, Pakistan had a great start to their daunting run-chase, with the openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam finding boundaries at will. They brought up their 100 stand (134 in 21 overs), but both these got dismissed after the other. Babar Azam’s dismissal of Zampa dented Pakistan’s chances further, and despite Rizwan’s best efforts, he was overshadowed by Zampa’s great spell. Pakistan slumped to their 2nd straight defeat as they lost the game by 62 runs.
Top 3 performances from the game between India and Afghanistan
Record 259-stand between David Warner and Mitchell Marsh
Playing their 4th game, Australia didn’t have the best of starts concerning their opening partnership. The highest stand between the David Warner and Mitchell Marsh is 27 till this game. However, the 4th time proved to be lucky as Warner survived a dropped chance when on 10, along with Marsh, went on to make the Pakistani pay.
They brought up their 100-run stand in the 13th over, with the batters getting to their respective half-centuries. They piled up the misery on the men in green as they converted into a century each and, in the process, became only the 5th Australian pair to cross the 200-run mark together.
The marathon stand of 259 from 34 overs ended when Mitchell Marsh departed after making a stunning 121 off 108 deliveries. David Warner went on to smash his 7th 150+ score in ODI cricket. He ended with 163 off 124 balls.
Read More: CWC 2023, AUS vs SL: Australia win courtesy Zampa’s 4-47, move to 8th place
Shaheen Afridi was the stand-out bowler on the day for Pakistan
On a day when all the bowlers went for plenty on a belter of a surface at Bengaluru, Shaheen Afridi was a shining light for the team. He was good in the powerplays, giving nothing away. And the left-arm seamer was the one who broke the 259-run opening stand and accounted for Maxwell for a duck.
In the death overs, he was sensational, giving away just 12 runs in his last 3 overs, picking 3 wickets, including that of Marcus Stoinis to end with figures of 5/54.
Adam Zampa turns the game on its head for Australia
After Pakistan’s opening duo were sent packing by Stoinis, Australia had the task of cutting Babar Rizwan’s stay at the crease, and Adam Zampa stepped in to do the same. He accounted for Babar, and then, at a time when Iftikhar was threatening to take the game away from Australia, Zampa trapped the batter plumb in front.
He struck twice more to end with sensational figures of 4/53, giving Australia their 2nd win.
Statistical highlights from Australia vs Pakistan game
- David Warner and Mitchell Marsh’s 259-run stand is the 2nd best partnership for any wicket and the best for the opening wicket for Australia in the World Cup.
- This is also the 6th best stand in World Cup history and the 2nd best in this World Cup after Conway-Ravindra’s 273-run stand.
- 121 is the highest ODI score by Mitchell Marsh, and it was also his birthday today.
- 367/9 by Australia is their 5th highest total in all of the World Cups.
- 5/50 by Shaheen is his 2nd five-wicket haul for Pakistan in World Cups, and now has the joint most 5-fers for the country. Shahid Afridi also has 2 five-wicket hauls.
- David Warner’s epic 163 is his 3rd score of 150 or more in World Cups. He is the first player in history to achieve this milestone.
- Adam Zampa crossed the 150-wicket mark (151 to be precise), and he became the 11th Australian bowler to do so.
Read More: CWC 2023, IND vs PAK: Bowlers, Rohit outplay Pakistan; India go top of the table
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table
What to come and points table
With this 62-run win, Australia stormed to the 4th position on the points table, and they now take on Netherlands at Delhi on 25th December. After their 2nd successive defeat, Pakistan is now in 5th position, and they next face Afghanistan at Chennai on the 23rd
Top Twitter Reactions from Australia vs Pakistan, Bengaluru, CWC 2023 game
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