David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Adam Zampa played pivotal roles in guiding Australia to a crucial victory over Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday, October 20. This win marked a significant turnaround for Australia, who had previously suffered defeats in their first two matches, as they secured their second consecutive win. On the flip side, Pakistan’s fortunes took a downturn after their strong start in the tournament.
Warner and Marsh set the tone for Australia, scoring centuries and setting a massive target. Pakistan showed resilience in their chase, with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq providing a solid platform, but Zampa’s crucial breakthroughs in the latter stages of the innings put the pressure on Pakistan.
Australia demonstrated their aggressive intent from the very first over, with Mitchell Marsh smashing a six over Shaheen Afridi’s head. The openers, Warner and Marsh, targeted the pace of Haris Rauf, resulting in an early onslaught that saw Rauf concede 47 runs in his first three overs.
Warner’s strike rate remained consistently high, and Marsh accelerated after reaching his half-century. Despite a missed opportunity by Usama Mir, a World Cup debutant, to dismiss Warner early in his innings, Australia reached 172 at the halfway mark. The openers reached their centuries in the same over, setting up Australia for a formidable total.
The contest saw no wickets fall for the first 33.4 overs, but Pakistan managed to strike twice in quick succession after that. Marsh was dismissed for 121, and Glenn Maxwell’s promotion in the batting order did not yield the desired results. However, Warner continued to dominate and reached a remarkable 150 for the seventh time in his career, setting Australia up for a substantial total. Despite a late resurgence by Pakistan’s bowlers, Australia finished with 367/9 after 50 overs.
In response, Pakistan chased a daunting 368 but adhered to their strategy of not taking too many risks during the powerplay. The openers, Shafique and Imam, provided a solid start, but Marcus Stoinis’ golden arm led to their dismissals, shifting the momentum in Australia’s favor.
Zampa played a crucial role, taking the wicket of Babar Azam, and Pakistan required a partnership to stay in the game. Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel provided hope for Pakistan, but Zampa’s vital wickets in successive overs dented their chances. Iftikhar Ahmed’s brief fireworks were not enough, and Pakistan eventually fell short by 62 runs.
In summary, Australia’s strong performance with the bat and Zampa’s key contributions with the ball secured a convincing victory over Pakistan.
