AUS vs BAN Review: Marsh steals the show with his blitzkrieg 177*

The 44th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup was played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune where Australia and Bangladesh faced off each other and it was the Kangaoos who extended their winning run with a thumping eight-wicket thrashing of the Bangla Tigers in Pune.

Australia won the toss and elected to field first. Bangladesh batted first and posted a challenging total of 306/8. Despite not having any significant partnerships, their collective batting effort, led by Towhid Hridoy’s 74 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 29, contributed to a competitive score. Bangladesh’s openers, Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das, made a solid start, reaching 62 without loss in the powerplay. However, wickets fell at intervals, with Tanzid and Litton departing in the 12th and 17th overs, respectively.

Shanto and Hridoy steadied the innings, with the latter reaching his fifty. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s contributions helped Bangladesh cross the 250-mark. However, Adam Zampa’s crucial wickets and disciplined bowling in the death overs by the Aussies limited Bangladesh to 306. Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott took two wickets each.

Chasing the target, the Australian team lost Travis Head early in their innings but Mitchell Marsh and David Warner stitched a 120-run partnership for the second wicket to stabilize the innings and chase. Warner was dismissed after scoring 53 but Marsh scored a brilliant daddy hundred while Steven Smith also supported him very well from the other end. They both added 175 runs for the third wicket as Marsh scored 177 not out of 132 balls with 17 fours and nine sixes while Smith scored 63 not out as Australia won the game quite comfortably by eight wickets.

Top Performers of the Match

Mitchell Marsh (177 of 132)

Marsh had a lean patch in the World Cup so far but he showcased his class with a brilliant hundred. He scored a magnificent 177 runs off 132 balls with 17 fours and nine sixes. Marsh turned the match one-sided for Australia as he stitched big partnerships with Warner and Smith during his innings.

Adam Zampa (2/32, 10 overs)

Adam Zampa continued his brilliant form with the ball, taking two important wickets in this match. He took the wickets of Litton Das and wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim to emerge as the best bowler of the match.

What next?

Moving forward, Australia will play against South Africa in the semifinals of the marquee event on November 16th.