After opting to bat first, David Warner received an early lifeline when Usama Mir, a World Cup debutant, dropped him at 10. Capitalizing on this error, Warner and the Australian team racked up an impressive 82 runs in the powerplay without losing a wicket, largely thanks to Haris Rauf’s expensive ninth over, which leaked 24 runs.
The dynamic opening partnership of Warner and Shaun Marsh extended their record-breaking run to 259, with both players achieving centuries. However, Pakistan managed to stage a comeback when Shaheen Afridi dismissed Marsh (121) and Glenn Maxwell in successive deliveries.
Warner continued to play aggressively as wickets fell around him, but after his departure for 163, Pakistan took control in the final 10 overs, with Afridi securing a remarkable 5-wicket haul.
In pursuit of the challenging target of 368 on a flat Bengaluru pitch, Pakistan started with a strong 134-run opening partnership. This marked the first instance in a World Cup match where all four openers scored more than 50. The breakthrough came when Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for 64, followed by Imam-ul-Haq for 70 and Babar Azam for 18 in quick succession.
Pakistan found themselves in a difficult position at 179/3 after 27 overs as the required run rate escalated. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan tried to revive the chase by adding 77 runs in just eight overs. However, Australian captain Pat Cummins broke this partnership, leading to a flurry of wickets.
Chinnaswamy crowd wishing Mitchell Marsh a very happy birthday.pic.twitter.com/enO4QpP7zr
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 20, 2023
Adam Zampa dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz in quick succession, finishing the day with four wickets to his name. In the 46th over, Pat Cummins claimed his second wicket, sealing Pakistan’s second loss of the campaign.
