Mitchell Marsh answers big question as glaring Powerplay problem emerges: Australia vs Pakistan World Cup Talking Points

With Travis Head being his usual opening partner in the 50-over format, Aussie selectors were looking for someone to put their hand up for the future.

Step forward Mitch Marsh.

The ‘Bison’ plundered a staggering 121 from only 108 balls, belting 10 boundaries and nine maximums to break the hearts of Pakistan cricket fans.

Alongside Warner, who finished on 163, the pair broke numerous records and were only a single run away from recording Australia’s highest-ever World Cup partnership.

The pair combined for an opening stand of 259, sitting behind Steve Smith and Warner’s efforts against Afghanistan in 2015, while the highest opening partnership at World Cups for Australia was smashed by 76 runs. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin’s 183-run partnership held the record since the 2011 World Cup, belting Canada all around the park.

Highest batting average among openers in ODIs

66.92 — Shubman Gill (IND)

65.92 — Temba Bavuma (RSA)

60.74 — Shai Hope (WI)

60.55 — Mitchell Marsh (AUS)

57.38 — Dawid Malan (ENG)

* Minimum 10 innings

Marsh’s exploits also positioned him as statistically the best Australian opener in the 50-over format, with a minimum of 10 innings. The 32-year-old averages 60.55 when batting at the top of the order, sitting behind only Shubman Gill, Temba Bavuma and Shai Hope.

Australian selectors will have one less headache on their hands when their next batch of ODI fixtures rolls around.

PAKISTAN’S WOEFUL FIELDING REGRETS

Australian openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh plundered Pakistan’s bowling to all corners of M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, but the record-breaking partnership should have ended in the fifth over.

Warner, attempting to take on Shaheen Afridi, played a wayward pull shot and skied the ball for what looked to be a certain wicket.

World Cup debutant Usama Mir positioned himself underneath the chance, but didn’t even manage to get a hand on the ball before it hit his foot and squirted forward.

The horror drop proved incredibly costly, as at the time Australia were sitting at 0-22.

The first-wicket partnership finished on 259, costing Babar Azam’s side a staggering 237 runs.

Pakistan legend Waqar Younis was scathing of Mir’s effort and labelled it a “massive miss”, with his prophecy quickly being fulfilled.

“Nervous hands, he had ample time and just sat himself … Warner thought he was gone, the hands left a bit of room to go through,” Younis said in commentary.

“This was straight up in the air, you take those ten out of ten times in warm-up,” former Australian opener Matthew Hayden added.

“As soon as your hands are tight against your chest like that, it is a recipe for disaster, poor fielding.”

Warner and Marsh didn’t give another chance until both players had celebrated their respective centuries.

Pakistan were then gifted an opportunity to break the partnership in the 33rd over, with Abdullah Shafique also grounding a Warner catch.

This chance was considerably more difficult than the first, but still proved costly with the pair going on to plunder several more boundaries.

“You’ve got to take those … nothing is going right for them,” Younis said.

Azam also put down Smith in the slips, with Mir finding the edge of his bat with a ripping delivery.

Legendary Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar took to X to release his frustrations, condemning the team’s fielding.

“As it is, you’re not able to create opportunities. At least grab the ones which batters are giving,” he wrote.

“Come on guys, you can’t drop so many catches!”

Pakistan’s head coach will without a doubt be focusing on fielding in this week’s training before their next World Cup clash.

EVERYTHING FINALLY CLICKS FOR CUMMINS

Pat Cummins has copped a lot of criticism for his captaincy over the last six months. Some of it’s been justifiable, while a fair amount has been unwarranted.

Regardless, the New South Welshman hardly put a foot wrong in the second half of Pakistan’s run chase at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Australians were in dire straits after Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq combined for a 134-run opening partnership. Shafique had been gifted a life on 27, while Cummins himself put down a chance at mid-wicket when Imam-ul-Haq was on 48.

However, Cummins ultimately redeemed himself, with four of Australia’s opening five wickets at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium coming immediately after a bowling change. Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed all departed in the first over of a bowler’s new spell, with Cummins deciphering the match-ups to perfection.

The 31-year-old, who has struggled with the DRS technology throughout the tournament, also successfully reviewed an on-field decision, his first correct call of the World Cup.

Pakistan’s Iftikhar Ahmed, who had just blasted a trio of sixes, looked to cut leg-spinner Adam Zampa through point, with Australia appealing for an LBW dismissal. After their pleas were ignored, Zampa and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis convinced Cummins to send the decision upstairs, and replays showed the ball had indeed scrapped Ahmed’s front pad.

“Inglis straight away put his hand on his knee and said, ‘He’s hit that’,” former New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin said on commentary.

“It was great communication from the keeper, trusting the fact that even though he’s a new player, Pat Cummins said, ‘Ok mate, we’ll trust you on this one’.

“It paid dividends.”

Pakistan never recovered, with Ahmed’s departure sparking a collapse of 6-36.

However, over-rates remain a problem for the Australians, who were three overs behind par throughout the latter stages of Pakistan’s run chase. It didn’t prove costly in Bengaluru, but the dreaded fielding restriction punishment could come back to bite them later in the tournament.

AUSSIES’ GLARING POWERPLAY PROBLEM

For three consecutive World Cup matches now, Australia has failed to take a wicket during the Powerplay.

Australia’s bowlers got their campaign off to a blistering start, snaring three early wickets during their tournament opener against India.

However, since the second over of India’s run chase in Chennai, Australia has not created a breakthrough during the Powerplay overs, which equates to 228 wicketless deliveries. The opening batters from South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan survived the new-ball blitz against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, forming century partnerships in all three matches.

On Friday, Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq feasted on some wayward bowling early in the run chase, plundering 40 runs from the opening five overs.

“How many balls have been hit square of the wicket?” former Australian captain Aaron Finch asked on commentary.

“They’ve been too wide, they’ve been too full, too short — there hasn’t been the normal consistency from Australia so far.”

Mitchell Starc, typically a reliable new-ball option, was far from his best at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, bowling five wides in a sloppy three-over spell that leaked 23 runs. He repeatedly strayed down the leg side and onto the pads, with Pakistan’s openers gleefully flicking the left-armer square.

“That’s poor bowling,” Pakistan legend Waqar Younis said in commentary.

“That’s not good.

“Every time he looks to swing the ball into middle-off, the ball swings a little too much and goes down the leg side.”

Middle-over wickets saved the Australians on Friday, but securing early breakthroughs will be pivotal to the team’s success for the remainder of the tournament.

WARNER OFFICIALLY A WORLD CUP LEGEND

Warner still has at least five matches left in his World Cup career, but the veteran opener has already cemented his status as one of Australia’s greatest competitors in the quadrennial tournament.

The New South Welshman, who lifted the coveted trophy in 2015, scored his fifth World Cup century on Friday evening, a feat only four other cricketers have achieved.

Former captain Ricky Ponting is the only Australian with more World Cup runs than Warner, albeit having played 24 more matches than the powerful left-hander.

Highest individual scores by Australians at Men’s World Cups

178 – David Warner vs AFG, 2015

166 – David Warner vs BAN, 2019

163 – David Warner vs PAK, 2023

158 – Matthew Hayden v WI, 2007

153 – Aaron Finch vs SL, 2019

Warner now has three 150+ scores in World Cups — no other cricketer in history has reached the milestone more than once.

The 36-year-old also boasts Australia’s three highest individual scores in World Cups, having blasted 178 against Afghanistan at the WACA in 2015 and 166 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in 2019.

Although Warner’s Test legacy is shrouded in controversy and debate, his status as an ODI legend has never been in doubt. Ponting is the only Australian with more ODI hundreds, while Adam Gilchrist is the only opener with more runs.

Hopefully he still has a couple of magical one-day knocks up his sleeve before returning home in November.