With a daunting total of 367/9 against Pakistan, Australia made a bold statement at the World Cup, propelled by outstanding centuries from David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. Warner scored his 21st ODI century in a thrilling performance, hitting 163 runs off 124 balls, while Marsh got his second ODI century, getting 121 runs off 108. In only 203 balls, the opening combination put together a commanding 259-run partnership, making it just the fourth time in World Cup history that both openers have scored hundreds in the same game.
Warner and Marsh displayed their explosive batting abilities, fully exploiting a Pakistani bowling team that was having trouble adjusting to the friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium surface. Their shots were much more potent because of the active outfield. Warner in particular was given two chances to recover after being dropped catches after scoring 10 and 105 respectively.
Usama Mir's first drop, in particular, attracted a lot of criticism since Warner was only on 10, when he dropped a dolly. In the fifth over, the batsman top-edged Shaheen Afridi's delivery, creating an easy catch opportunity for the fielder positioned at mid-on. Mir made a critical error, missing a remarkably simple catch, and Warner made Pakistan pay dearly for it by adding 153 runs to his total following the mistake.
After Mir got the ball to swerve sharply away from the right-hander, skipper Babar Azam also dropped Steve Smith at slip. This error didn't cost the team anything, though, since the great Australian batsman was out on 7.
Nevertheless, Pakistan's subpar fielding efforts weren't overlooked, as the team's former speedster Shoaib Akhtar harshly criticised the missed catches on his official X account. "As it is, you can't make opportunities. At the very least, take the ones the batters are offering. Guys, stop missing so many opportunities." Akhtar wrote.
Despite the poor fielding, left-arm bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi finished with scores of 5/54 and recorded a five-wicket haul. In the second half of the match, Pakistan also made an amazing recovery, taking all 10 of Australia's wickets in the space of 111 runs following Mitchell Marsh's first wicket. Naturally, Afridi was the one who successfully picked Marsh's wicket.
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