BENGALURU: Fifth ball of Australia's innings, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi sent down a fuller delivery to Mitchell Marsh. The birthday boy lapped up the gift and sent it over the long-on boundary for a maximum. That was the trailer for what turned out to be a Friday blockbuster from the Aussie opening pair of Marsh (163; 124b; 14x4; 9x6) and David Warne (121;108b; 10x4; 9x6).
The duo struck a fiery rhythm early in the innings and a couple of mistimed strokes by Warner, which were inexplicably dropped by the fielders, did not hamper their stand. For 147 minutes, the power hitters from Down Under ensured no place in the stadium remained untouched by their magic. Their 259-run association was the second highest opening stand in World Cup history.
