Internet Desk: David Warner and Travis Head put on 284 for the first wicket, a new Australian record for any wicket, to spearhead a comfortable win over Pakistan in the final One-Day International at the Adelaide Oval.
The 57-run victory on Thursday (January 26), also Australia Day, helped the host complete a 4-1 victory in the five-match series.
After Steve Smith opted to bat, Australia posted an imposing 369 for 7 with both Warner and Head bringing up their highest ODI scores, then bowled Pakistan out for 312 despite a fifth ODI hundred by Babar Azam and a rapid 79 by Sharjeel Khan.
Warner smashed 179 off just 128 deliveries with 19 fours and five sixes, going past his previous highest of 178 against Afghanistan in Perth during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It was his sixth 100 in his last 11 ODIs.
Warner and Head got Australia away to a superb start, Warner particularly damaging as he smashed the Pakistan attack to all parts of the ground. Head extended his maiden ODI hundred to 128, off 137 deliveries with nine fours and three sixes.
On being asked to bowl first, Pakistan almost got the perfect start when Mohammad Amir enticed an edge from Warner with his first ball. But a diving Azhar Ali at first slip couldn’t hold on to a difficult chance and Warner was soon in full flight.
He reached his fifty from 34 balls and his hundred from 78, including 11 fours and two massive sixes. His 150 came from only 107 deliveries, with 17 boundaries and three sixes.
Head was more circumspect but after the ball stopped swinging after just four overs, he began to look more and more comfortable.
On a flat pitch that offered nothing to the bowlers, the Australians made unchecked progress until Warner began to cramp, which restricted his movements. He eventually fell swatting a short ball from Junaid Khan to Babr at point.
Despite his fall in the 42nd over, Australia seemed on course headed for a score in excess of 400, but Pakistan fought back with some late wickets to restrict them to 369. There were two wickets apiece for Junaid and Hasan Ali, though the latter did concede 100 runs from his nine overs.
Pakistan’s chase stuttered when Azhar was trapped in front by Mitchell Starc for six, but Sharjeel and Babar took up the attack and pushed the score to 140 before the Sharjeel, the big-hitting batsman, mistimed a pull, also off Starc, and skied a catch to Matthew Wade, the wicketkeeper. His 79 came off just 69 balls, and included nine fours and two sixes.
Babar began to pick up the pace and reached 100 from 107 balls. However, soon after bringing up his fourth ODI century, he holed out to Head at mid-on. By then, Mohammad Hafeez had been dismissed by Starc – the left-arm paceman finished with 4 for 42 – and Shoaib Malik had retired hurt after being hit on the arm by a short ball from Pat Cummins.
With the writing on the wall, Umar Akmal counter-attacked in making 46 off 40 and pushed the total beyond 300, but Australia kept plugging away and wrapped up the victory when Starc breached Wahab Riaz’s defence in the final over.