ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Australia vs Pakistan, 18th Match Australia beat Pakistan on Friday (October 20) in Bengaluru thanks to the leadership of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Adam Zampa. The outcome experienced a total turnaround in the fortunes of the two sides, with Australia winning two straight after losing their first two matches and Pakistan experiencing the exact opposite outcome in world cup. Pakistan was in the hunt for the majority of their innings as Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq set a strong foundation, but Zampa’s crucial strikes hit them towards the finish. Pakistan was chasing a big score after centuries from Warner and Marsh.
When Marsh hit a six-ball straight over Shaheen Afridi’s head in the opening over of the day, it was clear what Australia’s objectives were. The two openers targeted Haris Rauf’s speed, and in the same over, Warner clipped him for a spectacular six over fine leg. Marsh then collected a hat-trick of boundaries. Surprisingly, Rauf let up 47 runs in his opening three overs.
Warner’s strike rate remained comfortably above 100, but Marsh, having reached his fifty-first, improved as the openers contained Pakistan. If Usama Mir, the World Cup rookie, had held onto a straightforward opportunity to remove Warner early in his inning, the Asian team would have paid a heavy price. Australia had amassed 172 runs before the midway point, and the slaughter persisted as both openers reached three figures off consecutive deliveries in the same over.
Although the fact that no wickets dropped in the first 33.4 overs of the match, Pakistan was very relieved when the next two balls provided wickets. For 121, Marsh was fired, and Glenn Maxwell’s promotion was unsuccessful. But as Australia prepared for a huge finish, Warner let free and crossed the 150-mark for the seventh time in his career. 40 overs later, at 297/3. Australia was ready for the 400th point. Yet, there was still a twist in the story—after Warner was defeated by 163, Pakistan pulled off an incredible comeback. With consistent wickets, Rauf and Shaheen continued to put pressure on Australia, and the left-arm bowler even managed to end with a five-for.
Pakistan followed an impressive 368, following to their strategy of not overcommitting on the powerplay. Pakistan got off to a strong start as Shafique hit two boundaries in an over off the indifferent Mitchell Starc, and Imam did the same against Josh Hazlewood in the next over. The openers boosted their game after scoring 59 runs during the powerplay, and Shafique also had a stroke of luck when Sean Abbott dropped him close to the boundary.
All four hitters reached fifty runs for the first time in World Cup 2023 history as Pakistan gradually took control following an over of 15 runs from Maxwell. While Australia’s front-line bowlers were having difficulty making an early breakthrough, Marcus Stoinis’ golden arm hurt Pakistan when Shafique miscuted a delivery, departing for 64. Imam was removed by another short ball from the all-rounder, and Australia took command once the two set hitters were back inside the pavilion.
Also Read: World Cup 2023: India vs Afghanistan Highlights, Scorecard and News
Babar Azam was finally removed from the game by Zampa, while Pat Cummins made a superb catch to remove his Pakistani opponent. Pakistan had reached 200 runs after 30 overs, but they still needed a partnership to turn the innings around. That was just what Pakistan needed from Muhammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel to stay competitive. Pakistan looked to be gaining momentum at one point, as Rizwan and Shakeel were consistently reaching the boundary.
For More Details: ICC.com
Even the loss of Shakeel did not deter the men in green, as Iftikhar Ahmed came out and smashed three sixes in the space of five deliveries to startle Australia. Before Zampa crushed their hopes, Pakistan need 103 from 72 deliveries and was well inside the race. The legspinner trapped Iftikhar and Rizwan leg-before-wicket in consecutive overs, and the pursuit was over. He took another wicket off the final ball to complete his quota, although Pakistan ultimately lost by 62 runs.
ICC Cricket World Cup:
Summary scores: Australia defeated Pakistan 305 in 45.3 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 70, Abdullah Shafique 64, Adam Zampa 4/53) by 62 runs with 367/9 in 50 overs (David Warner 163, Mitchell Marsh 121, Shaheen Afridi 5/54)
Also Read: OnePlus Open vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5: 5 differences between these two flagships
