Toby Marshall
Australia bounced back in style with a comprehensive 10-wicket victory against India in Vizag on March 19 in the 2nd IND vs AUS ODI. The win was set up by an exceptional bowling performance from Mitchell Starc, who claimed five wickets and was ably supported by Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis. India was bowled out for just 117 runs, their third-lowest ODI score against Australia.
In response, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head played explosive innings, with Marsh smashing six fours and as many sixes in his 36-ball knock while Head hit 10 fours in his 30-ball stay. Australia chased down the target with ease, winning the match with 39 overs to spare.
Mitchell Starc’s exceptional bowling performance led Australia to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory against India in Vizag on March 19. Starc claimed five wickets, including that of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, leaving India struggling at 22 for 3.
He missed his hat-trick chance but a double-wicket maiden from Starc was everything that Australia needed. With a superb one-handed catch diving to his right, Steve Smith assisted Sean Abbott in the dismissal of Pandya to leave India five down before the 10th over was completed.
Ravindra Jadeja tried to play across but was out lbw for 31 in the 16th over. At 91 for 7, India were in trouble, but Axar Patel’s unbeaten 29 helped them reach triple-digits. However, he ran out of partners at the other end as Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami were dismissed in quick succession to end India’s innings at 117.
Australia’s Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh took charge of the chase with confidence, completing it in just 11 overs without any apparent pressure. Marsh played a destructive innings, smashing six sixes and six fours on his way to scoring 66 runs in just 36 deliveries.
Australia began their chase aggressively, with Travis Head hitting two consecutive fours off Mohammed Siraj in the second over, while Mitchell Marsh also started strongly with two boundaries in a single over from Mohammed Shami. Both batsmen continued to take on Siraj, hitting a four each in his second over, before Marsh smashed the first six of the innings over deep midwicket off Shami.
Marsh went on to hit a classy boundary past point before dispatching a short ball for his second six. Head also joined in on the fun, striking four boundaries off Siraj in a single over as Australia raced to 60 runs by the end of the sixth over. Marsh continued his onslaught, hitting three sixes off Hardik Pandya’s over, and eventually reached his second consecutive fifty after his 81 in the first ODI.
With the bat dominating proceedings, AUS went on to win the 2nd ODI comfortably, leaving IND with no chance of mounting a comeback. The final ODI at Chennai will now decide the winner of the IND vs AUS series.
Afghanistan showcased an impressive batting performance, spearheaded by Ibrahim Zadran's exceptional knock of 98 runs and Rahmat Shah's valuable contribution of 55 runs. Their efforts powered Afghanistan to a convincing 6-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, securing a crucial 1-0 lead in the series.
In the fifth ODI match between Pakistan and New Zealand on Sunday, Iftikhar Ahmed scored an impressive unbeaten 94. Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure a victory for Pakistan, as they lost by 47 runs. This win allowed Tom Latham-led New Zealand to avoid a whitewash in the five-match series. Despite the loss, Pakistan still won the series 4-1. However, Pakistan lost their place as the No.1 ranked ODI side in the world and…
