Australia finish on 417/6 after 50 overs against Afghanistan during ICC Cricket World Cup match at Perth

Perth: Afghanistan had expected a stern test in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 game against Australia, but their bowlers were put to sword by the hosts as they bludgeoned 417 runs for the loss of six wickets at the end of 50 overs. David Warner’s aggressive 178 showed the way, while Steven Smith was unlucky to miss out on a ton. Then came Glenn Maxwell, who only went on to build on the platform laid by the top order. Australia rocketed past 400 as the Afghanistan fielders were mere spectators. Live Updates: Australia vs Afghanistan ICC World Cup 2015 Pool B Match at Perth

The innings saw multiple records tumble, with the total being the highest team total in a World Cup innings as well as on Australian soil. Warner’s knock turned out to be the highest score by a batsman at the WACA Ground, surpassing Damien Martyn’s 144, which came against Zimbabwe in 2001. Maxwell, who was dismissed for a score of 88 off 39 balls, hit the joint third-fastest half-century in a World Cup innings, sharing the spot with Brendon McCullum and Mark Boucher when he reached the milestone in just 21 deliveries. Live Scorecard: Australia vs Afghanistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool B Match at Perth

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On winning the toss, Mohammad Nabi elected to bowl first. This was quite surprising considering the fact that the WACA wicket was flat and great for batting. But, what stole the limelight was Shane Watson’s non-inclusion. James Faulkner came into the side and Watson was benched. With Pat Cummins injured, Josh Hazlewood made his way into the side. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

There has been a lot of talk about Afghanistan’s pace bowling attack and they were good to begin with. Dawlat Zadran bowled in testing channels and asked Aaron Finch numerous questions. Finch was kept quiet and Dawlat got rewards for his persistence. Dawlat had bowled a lively spell early on and that was perhaps the only good passage of play for Afghanistan. Thereafter, it all went pear-shaped! ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage

Warner got into his act, with Smith maintaining his calm at the other end. As the overs went by, Warner took the attacking approach. The Afghanistan bowlers were perhaps getting carried away and pitching it short. Warner played through the line and smashed the bowlers mercilessly. He raced away to his ton, even as Smith was calmly getting past his fifty. Afghanistan were left at the mercy of two of the most attacking batsmen in world cricket. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Pool-wise Team Standings

Once Warner got to his ton, there were murmurs of a possible double. The way he went after the bowling thereafter, it seemed likely as he smashed the bowling quite easily. Thus, it was quite anti-climatic when he was dismissed for 178, skying one from Shapoor Zadran. Mohammad Nabi took a good catch coming in from mid-wicket. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

That only brought Maxwell to the middle and he unleashed his fearless brand of strokeplay. The reverse-flicks, the sweeps and all those innovative strokes were on show as he smashed a 39-ball 88. Smith quietly walked out when he holed out on 95, but Maxwell kept the pace going and there was no stopping him. He was ultimately dismissed at the death when he found cover. That perhaps saved Afghanistan about 20 runs.
Afghanistan’s bowlers had a tough day in the middle and their batsmen will hope to put up a better score. But chasing down a 400-plus score will be no easy task. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Brief scores:

Australia 417 for 6 after 50 overs (David Warner 178, Steven Smith 95, Glenn Maxwell 88; Shapoor Zadran 2 for 89) vs Afghanistan.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)