Perth: David Warner made mincemeat of an inexperienced Afghanistan bowling attack with a magnificent 178 as hosts Australia piled up a world record 417 for six in their pool A match of the ICC cricket World Cup here today.
Australia thus surpassed India's 413/5 to record the highest team total in a World Cup match.Courtesy Warner's career-best 133-ball knock and an attractive 95 off 98 balls from Steven Smith, Australia piled up runs with ease as the duo stitched a record 260 runs for the second wicket partnership.
While Warner's fourth ODI hundred was studded with 19 boundaries and five sixes, Smith's innings had eight boundaries and a six.
The stage was then set for Glenn Maxwell to give the final flourish with a scintillating 88 off only 39 balls, joining the run feast by sending the ball flying into the stands with monotonic regularity. There were 14 sixes in all in the innings.
Maxwell hit six boundaries and seven sixes in his brief innings which was high on entertainment quotient.
After a disappointing batting show against New Zealand, the Australian team needed a ‘run-tonic' and Warner, Smith and Maxwell provided the sizeable crowd exact entertainment needed.
Maxwell played some amazing reverse flicks along with old fashioned thwacks over extra cover and deep fine leg to completely deflate the Afghan attack.
While Warner muscled the deliveries from the pace trio of Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hassan into gaps as well as into the stands, Maxwell hit the most amazing six off left-arm pacer Shapoor.
It was a full length delivery where Maxwell changed to reverse hit grip and played it over first slip for a six. Skipper Mohammed Nabi's friendly off-breaks were either dispatched over the ropes or past it as Maxwell completed his half-ton of only 21 balls with a effortless reverse hit off a full-toss.
