As expected, Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed a runfest on Friday as Australia defeated Pakistan by 62 runs in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Chasing Australia's 367/9, Babar Azam-led Pakistan were bowled out for 305 in 45.3 overs.
Adam Zampa was the star performer for Australia with the ball as the leg-spinner picked up four wickets in his quota of 10 overs by giving away just 53 runs. Marcus Stoinis (40/2), Pat Cummins (62/2), Josh Hazlewood (37/1) and Mitchell Starc (65/1) were the other Aussie bowlers to pick up wickets.
Pakistan began their run-chase strongly with both openers scoring half-centuries. Abdullah Shafique (64 off 61) and Imam-ul-Haq (70 off 71) found runs easily in a tit-for-tat response to the explosive start the Kangaroos got from their openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. However, medium pacer Marcus Stoinis dismissed them both in a gap of 20 runs to bring Australia back into the game. While Shafique fell after a 134 opening stand, Imam was sent back before he could relaunch the chase alongside Babar Azam.
The win took Australia to fourth in the point table (4 points from 4 games) while Pakistan stand at five with the same tally but a lesser Net Run Rate.
Pakistan vs Australia: As it happened in Bengaluru
Though 369 was a steep mountain, Pakistan approached their chase fearlessly. But once the openers fell, Zampa snaffled the prized wicket of Babar (18 off 14) as Pakistan seemed to have hit the slide button. But, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel added 56 runs off 48 balls to keep Pakistan steady as Aussies tried to apply constant pressure in the middle overs.
Their effort eventually paid off as Zampa got the wickets of both Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed with skidders that both the batters failed to read, ending up as leg-before victims.
Those dismissals also ended any hopes Pakistan entertained to enact a miracle.
In the first innings, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh put on a masterclass in power-hitting as the five-time champions posted a daunting total. Warner entertained the crowd with a blistering knock of 163 off 124 balls while Marsh walked off with a career-best 121 as the pair combined for 24 boundaries and 18 sixes while Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up five wickets.
Pakistan won the toss and put Australia in to bat but skipper Babar Azam's hopes of picking up early wickets quickly evaporated when Warner and Marsh went all guns blazing to put on a 259-run opening stand.
Haris Rauf conceded 24 runs in his first over as the bowlers experimented with line and length to no avail, while Warner and Marsh notched up their centuries in the 31st over. Afridi had contained them before the early onslaught but even he was not spared as Marsh welcomed him back for his second spell with a straight six to bring up Australia's 250. But Marsh fell to the fast bowler as Mir made amends with a catch at short fine leg, while Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for nought the next ball when he skied his shot to Azam at mid-on.
Rauf had gone for 65 runs in 4.1 overs before he finally got Warner caught in the deep when the opener looked to clear the long-on boundary. The Australian received a standing ovation from the crowd and handshakes from the Pakistan players as he walked off with his seventh 150-plus score in ODIs.However, Australia then collapsed with Marcus Stoinis making the next highest score (21) as Afridi finished with figures of 5-54 when he cleaned up the tail.
- With agency inputs