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Australian opener David Warner received huge applause from fans after his majestic century in the 2023 World Cup clash against Pakistan on Friday (October 20) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The veteran batter scored 163 runs in 124 balls to set up a great platform for his side.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss earlier in the afternoon and opted to bowl first. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh took on the Pakistan bowlers on a flat surface and smashed them all around the park. Warner received an early reprieve when he was on 10, as Usama Mir dropped a simple catch off Shaheen Afridi's bowling.
It proved to be a massive mistake as Warner took full advantage of the lifeline and hit his fifth ODI World Cup century. He went on to build a 259-run opening partnership with Mitchell Marsh to give an outstanding start to the Aussies. Marsh was watchful in the middle phase against spinners, but Warner was relentless and kept scoring at a brisk pace.
He went on to become the first batter to hit three 150+ scores in World Cup history. Warner eventually perished in the 43rd over after a sensational knock. Australia lost wickets in quick succession and could only reach 367/9 in the end.
Fans took notice of David Warner's marathon knock against Pakistan and heaped praise on him through X. Here are some reactions:
"Our communication and connection today as a partnership was fantastic"- Mitchell Marsh on his 259-run stand with David Warner
Speaking during the mid-innings break, Mitchell Marsh reflected on the magnificent opening partnership with David Warner.
He said:
"We know that this is a high-scoring ground and it's nice to cash in. We just wanted to dig deep and Davey was fantastic in that partnership. Our communication and connection today as a partnership was fantastic. Kept each other going. There was a little period they bowled quite well, especially their spinners, we tried to take it deep, we knew that our time would come."
On hitting a century on his birthday, Marsh added:
"Yes, it's a nice birthday present. Played a few matches on my birthday before but never got past 10. I don't celebrate my 100 too much but it's a World Cup century and I am proud of it. Probably we would've liked a few more in the end but Pakistan bowled really well. The ball is going to swing under lights and we need to get a couple of wickets up front, hold our line and length in the middle overs and that's going to be good enough."
