Australia v Pakistan, 5th ODI, Adelaide: Warner, Head tons set up Australia victory
Australia 7 for 369 (Warner 179, Head 128) beat Pakistan 312 (Azam 100, Sharjeel 79, Starc 4-42) by 57 runs
What a way to celebrate Australia Day. David Warner and Travis Head gave the Adelaide Oval crowd special reason to enjoy the national holiday by rewriting the record books and compiling the all-time highest ODI partnership for Australia, a 284-run stand that set up a hefty win over Pakistan in the final match of the series. For a dead rubber, this game had plenty of bounce – at least, while Australia were batting.
Their 7 for 369 meant Pakistan would have required the third-highest successful chase in ODI history if they were to emerge with a consolation win; it was simply too big a task, despite a century from Babar Azam and a typically entertaining 79 from Sharjeel Khan. Although Pakistan managed their highest total of the series – 312 – they still suffered a 57-run defeat, and will fly home with a 1-4 ODI series loss to sit alongside their 0-3 result in the Tests.
Perhaps the only disappointment for the crowd was that Warner did not turn his 179 into a double-century. It was Warner’s 13th one-day international hundred, but the local spectators equally appreciated the maiden century from Head, the South Australia captain now making his way in the national side. Promoted to open with Warner for the second time in the series – Usman Khawaja was left out of this XI – Head finished with 128 off 137 balls.
Further records could have been broken had Warner stuck around a little longer. Although they set a new Australian ODI partnership record – beating the 260-run second-wicket stand between Warner and Steven Smith against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup – the all-time ODI opening partnership record eluded them by two runs. That remains the 286-run stand between Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga for Sri Lanka against England in 2006.
And Warner fell six runs short of equalling the highest individual ODI score by an Australian, the unbeaten 185 that Shane Watson plundered against Bangladesh in 2011. Towards the end of his 128-ball innings, Warner appeared to be struggling with cramp, and finally fell to a slower short ball from Junaid Khan that was slashed away to point, where Babar took a good catch low to the ground.
Remarkably, though Pakistan had gone 41 overs without taking a wicket, they claimed another one only two balls later, when Smith skied his second delivery off Junaid and was well taken by Wahab Riaz, who ran with the flight of the ball from mid-on and jarred his knee while landing. At least those chances stuck for Pakistan – the same cannot be said of much of their fielding on this tour, and fielding coach Steve Rixon might have to go back to square one.
Courtesy : espncricinfo
