BENGALURU: A slog sweep, a slog scoop or a whip scoop? One of David Warner's mammoth maximum off Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf hit the rooftop at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Friday. It was this showstopping performance which led Australia to victory against Pakistan.
The Australian opener loves his shots, but they are anything but fluke. To scoop the ball behind the square on the leg side, the opener retreated, crouched and with the ball in the 'arc' he unleashed the shot from the middle of his bat. It was a magician at work. Warner, 10 days shy of his 37th birthday, is always work in progress with plenty of tricks in his bag.
Against the pacers, the southpaw got under the length artistically and found the gaps at will. With the spinners, he was merciless, switching his batting studs for dancing shoes.
1/9:Openers scoring centuries in the same innings at the World Cup
2/9:Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL, 2011): 133 & 144 vs ZIM
<p>The former dynamic openers of Sri Lanka, Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan were one of the elite openers during the 2011 World Cup.<br /></p>
3/9:Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL, 2011): 133 & 144 vs ZIM
<p>In a game against Zimbabwe in Pallekele, Both openers notched up breathtaking centuries and stitched a record partnership of 282 runs in which Tharanga scored 133 and Dishan scored 144. Thanks to the partnership, Sri Lanka comfortably won the game by 139 runs.<br /><br /></p>
4/9:Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL, 2011): 102* & 108* vs ENG
<p>The Sri Lankan batting duo of Tharanga and Dilshan showed their prowess in the quarter-finals against England in the 2011 World Cup too.<br /></p>
5/9:Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL, 2011): 102* & 108* vs ENG
<p>Chasing a below-par target of 230, the Lankan openers didn’t hesitate to attack the English bowlers and chased down the target in 39.3 overs, playing unbeaten knocks. Tharanga scored 102*, whereas Dilshan scored 108*.<br /><br /></p>
6/9:KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (IND, 2019): 111 & 103 vs SL
<p>During India’s last league game against Sri Lanka in the 2019 World Cup, openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma stitched a sensational partnership of 189 which paved the way for India to win the game comfortably by 7 wickets.<br /></p>Getty Images
7/9:KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (IND, 2019): 111 & 103 vs SL
<p>Rahul scored his first-ever World Cup hundred (111) and Rohit Sharma scored his 5th hundred (103) of the tournament, which is the most by any batter in a World Cup edition.<br /></p>Getty Images
8/9:David Warner and Mitchell Marsh (AUS, 2023): 163 & 121 vs PAK
<p>The formidable Aussie pair of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh showcased their batting power in a game against Pakistan in the ongoing World Cup in Bengaluru. Both batters thrashed Pakistani bowlers out of the park.<br /></p>
9/9:David Warner and Mitchell Marsh (AUS, 2023): 163 & 121 vs PAK
<p>The Aussies stitched a record partnership of 259. Warner ended up scoring 163 and Marsh contributed 121.<br /></p>AFPWarner says he banks more on instinct than process while going for the big ones.
"It's just pure instinct. I've faced him (Rauf) plenty of times and I know the line, length and the pace that he bowls. It's just one of those shots on a ground like this with a small boundary. If you get anything in your arc, you can just go with it. Rauf bowled it pretty much in my arc where I wanted him to bowl," explained Warner.
While Warner with his 124-ball 163 and Mitch Marsh's 121 set the tone for a record-breaking total, the fact most batters who followed the openers gifted their wickets hampered the Aussies. "We missed a little bit with the bat. We set our platform up very well and we didn't execute as well as we would like as a batting unit to post what I thought 400 was probably on the cards from where we were," conceded Warner.
Pakistan have turned Warner's favourite punching bag. On Friday he recorded his fourth consecutive century against the opposition, which incidentally were on the other side when he struck his maiden Test triple hundred (335 n.o).
"You just match up well against certain teams and they're going to bowl you good balls. But I think you just keep backing yourself, Warner said.
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Meanwhile, Australian chairman of selectors George Bailey confirmed that Travis Head, who had been ruled out of the initial matches due to a fracture, has arrived in India and will take the field soon.
