ICC World Cup 2023: Marsh powers Australia to 8 wicket win over Bangladesh

Pune, The Gulf Observer: Mitchell Marsh recorded his career-best score as Australia beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the Cricket World Cup on Saturday.

Marsh reached 177 not out off 132 balls as Australia registered its highest successful run-chase in World Cup history.

He put on 175 runs off 135 balls for the unbeaten third wicket with Steve Smith, who scored 63 not out as Australia finished with 307-2 in 44.4 overs.

This was after Adam Zampa picked 2-32 in 10 overs to help restrict Bangladesh to 306-8.

It was Australia’s seventh straight win in the tournament. The five-time champions had started slow with losses to India and South Africa, but bounced back in style to confirm a semifinal spot.

Australia finished third in the standings with 14 points — equal with second-placed South Africa but lower on net run-rate.

The Aussies will play South Africa in the semifinals on Thursday in Kolkata. The two sides had also met in the 1999 World Cup semifinal at Edgbaston, where Australia advanced after a thrilling tied game.

Elsewhere, in the second game of the day, England won the toss and opted to bat, thus effectively ending Pakistan’s hopes of overtaking New Zealand on run-rate and finishing fourth.

In Kolkata, Ben Stokes scored 84 runs and Joe Root made 60 helping England finish with 337-9 in 50 overs. Pakistan needs to score 338 runs in 6.4 overs to qualify for the semifinals — a mathematical improbability.

Pakistan was 28-2 in six overs, thus exiting the tournament irrespective of its result against England.

In Wednesday’s semifinal, hosts and table-toppers India will face New Zealand in Mumbai. The two sides had also met in the 2019 World Cup semifinal, where the Black Caps had won across a rain-affected match played over two days.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is placed eighth despite and will qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy unless the Netherlands beats India on Sunday.

In Pune, Australia’s chase got off to a poor start as Travis Head was bowled for 10.

David Warner scored 53 off 61 balls, his second half-century of the tournament. The opener also has two hundreds in the tournament.

Warner put on 120 runs off 116 balls for the second wicket with Marsh. He hit six fours, while Marsh reached 50 off only 37 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes.

Australia was ahead of the curve at 132-1 in 22 overs when Warner was out caught against the run of play.

Marsh carried on though, scoring his third ODI hundred off 87 balls. It was also his second century of the tournament. He accelerated thereafter, scoring 77 off the next 45 balls faced, and hit another five sixes as well as six fours.

At the other end, Smith scored a finely timed half-century off 55 balls. The batsman had missed Australia’s last game against Afghanistan because of vertigo.

Earlier, Zampa edged closer to Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan’s all-time record of most wickets in a World Cup for a spinner.

Muralitharan had picked 23 wickets in 2007, with Zampa now leading the wickets’ charts with 22 — the most for an Australian in a World Cup.

He dismissed Litton Das for 36, while also sending back Mushfiqur Rahim for 21 runs. In doing so, he also went past compatriot Brad Hogg who had picked 21 wickets in 2007. Australian great Shane Warne had picked 20 wickets in 1999.

Towhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with 74 runs. Marnus Labuschagne enjoyed his day in the field, running out stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for 45 and then Mahmudullah for 32 runs.

Sean Abbott also picked 2-61 as Bangladesh recorded its highest total in the tournament.