Mitch Marsh's tasty reward for scoring a crucial World Cup century looks set to be having his face rubbed into his birthday cake.
Opening partner David Warner was left so happy about Marsh reaching three figures on his 32nd birthday in the win over Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday that he actually sounded happier for his mate than he was about his own ton.
It was a measure of Marsh's popularity within the team that Warner should be left so thrilled about the Perth powerhouse in their "David and Goliath" partnership reaching just the second ODI hundred of his fine allround career.
"Look, we love each other's success," said Warner, whose 163 off 124 balls may have eclipsed Marsh's 121 off 108 in their 259-run stand, which provided the basis for Australia's 62-run win.
"You should be happy for your teammate. I know he missed out on one in (South) Africa (and also in India last month) and he's been playing really, really well of late.
"You'd always go into bat for him and I was just so ecstatic for him.
"You know, he's a great man to have around the change room. He's the life of the party, brings out the best in everyone and he's always a character - and that's what you need in teams and in these back-up-against-the wall games, you need that.
"It was awesome for him to come out and do that today. And on his birthday as well!"
Warner knows all about what your teammates can do to you when you score a ton in India, after having once had his face smeared in chocolate cake by his Sunrisers Hyderabad colleagues after he'd lashed a 59-ball ton.
"Mitch said to me today that he hasn't really scored any runs on his birthday - so he's happy about that. But, yeah, I think he's going to get tonight's Indian tradition - cake in the face!"
The 36-year-old Warner might have to be careful he doesn't get his own face rubbed in it too after he notched up the 21st ODI hundred of his career.
Between them, Warner and Marsh clouted 24 fours and 18 sixes in their partnership, with the former clear his mate had been the superior smiter.
"I was probably the opposite - David and Goliath," mused the 1.71m Warner, talking of his 1.93m buddy.
"He struck the ball so well and was very, very unlucky to get out the way he did (caught at short fine leg).
"He's in such a great frame of mind at the moment and we love when Mitch is in that zone. Today his tempo was very, very good ... He executed very, very well and he was miffed to not keep going on today."
The even better news for Australia was Warner brushed aside a prospective injury concern and had nothing to worry about after failing to take the field for the Pakistan innings.
"I feel alright. Just cramping," he said. "I got upstairs, had an ice bath and then once you have that for some reason you start cramping. I tried, I went out there, chased the ball to the fence and then came back and just cramped in both adductors."
