Pak vs Aus: Mitchell Marsh makes his birthday memorable

Australian opening batter Mitchell Marsh celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by scoring a remarkable century in the 2023 World Cup match against Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, 20th October.

The opening batter amassed 121 runs from a mere 108 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries and nine maximums, displaying dominance against the Pakistani bowlers. He also played a crucial role in the second-highest World Cup opening partnership, contributing a massive 259 runs alongside David Warner, who also scored the highest individual total in this World Cup (163). This partnership provided a formidable foundation for the Australian team to post a substantial first-innings total.

The animated celebration by Mitchell Marsh upon reaching his century clearly conveyed the significance of this achievement to him. Filling in at the top of the order due to the absence of the injured Travis Head, he has certainly excelled for his team.

Interestingly, only one player had previously scored a century in a World Cup, and that was New Zealand's Ross Taylor, who also achieved this feat against Pakistan in Pallekele during the 2011 edition.

Remember, Australia scored 367 runs in 50 overs at the loss of 9 wickets.

For Pakistan, Iftikhar Ahmed has been the most economical bowler as he gave away just 37 runs in 8 overs but was unable to take a wicket.

Shaheen Afridi took two wickets back-to-back as he dismissed Marsh and then Glenn Maxwell. He completed his 5-wicket haul after he dismissed Josh Hazlewood. He gave away 54 runs in 10 overs.

Despite preventing Australia from surpassing the 400-run mark, Pakistan will need an exceptional batting performance to come anywhere close to the target.

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