World Cup head to head: Afghanistan vs Australia
The contest was feared to be a mismatch and that's precisely how it panned out, resulting in a couple of dubious records for Afghanistan as well. On a flat WACA surface in Perth, Afghanistan erred by opting to field and were sent on a leather-hunt by a dominating Australian batting line-up. David Warner was the destructor-in-chief as he blasted the bowlers to all areas of the park with his inimitable swagger. His partnership with a young Steven Smith put the Aussies on track for a gigantic total.
Warner himself was threatening to not only be the first Australian to break the double-century barrier but also perhaps get into the top individual scores of all time. However, that was not to be as he departed for a dynamic 178 with roughly 12 overs still left in the innings. The platform was set for the final assault and Glenn Maxwell, promoted to no.4, did just that. A few wickets in the final five overs did affect the momentum a wee bit but Maxwell's blitzkrieg and Brad Haddin's cameo comfortably propelled Australia to their second highest total in ODIs. If there was any doubt about the result before the game, it was sealed at the halfway mark with this intimidating performance.
Up against a quality pace attack like Australia's, Afghanistan had no chance of survival, let alone making the chase interesting. The pace trio of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood proved too hot to handle for the inexperienced Afghanistan batting line-up with only Nawroz Mangal and Mohammad Nabi showing some spine against the fury. Eventually, the innings was cleaned up in just over 38 overs and Australia recorded their highest margin of victory in ODIs in terms of runs (and second-highest overall). Warner was awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant knock.
In their first game of the 2019 mega event, Afghanistan were faced with a stiff task of facing the defending champions Australia who walked into the tournament as one of the favorites. Skipper Gulbadin Naib chose to bat under slightly gloomy conditions and his team lost both openers inside 2 overs, one to Starc and the other to Cummins. Many teams would have panicked with such a disastrous start, but crucial contributions from Rahmat Shah, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran and a sprightly cameo from Rashid Khan lower down the order helped the Asian side post a total respectable score of 207 (all-out) in 38.2 overs.
On expected lines, Australia made the chase look like a walk in the park as Warner (89 off 114 balls) took the anchor role, helping his side cross the line with 91 balls to spare. Skipper Finch too compiled a 50-plus score but he took the aggressive route from the onset, smashing 6 fours and 4 sixes in the process. For holding one end up and offering a solid start with the bat, Warner was chosen for the Player of the Match award.
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