Adam Zampa fuels Australia win after Pakistan drop David Warner

David Warner and Mitchell Marsh hit hundreds before Adam Zampa takes four wickets in high-scoring chase

David Warner and Mitchell Marsh hit hundreds in a record opening stand to propel Australia to 367/9 and Pakistan gave it a good go till they couldn’t any longer, folding for 305, at Bangalore on Friday.

Adam Zampa recorded figures of 4/53 (PTI)

With pride at stake after comprehensive defeats to India and South Africa, this was exactly the kind of turnaround Australia were seeking in order to boost their credentials. Courtesy this win, Australia have now broken into the top-four with an almost repaired net run rate.

Warner and Marsh took full advantage of a flat pitch and tantalisingly small boundaries to go on a rampage that yielded 259 runs in 33.5 overs. Warner hit 163 in 124 balls, with 14 boundaries and nine massive sixes. Marsh, celebrating his 32nd birthday, hit ten boundaries and nine sixes.

Having chased 345 in Hyderabad earlier, this chase shouldn’t have been beyond Pakistan’s means, but neither of their openers could convert their fifties into hundreds as the rest of the middle-order succumbed to the pressure of chase.

At the end of the day, two centuries should have headlined Australia’s win, yet there is an unshakeable feeling this match could have gone a different direction had it not been for a dropped catch.

It was probably a bit early—the fifth over in fact—to find the memes and enqueue them. A typical Warner loose shot — on 10, top-edging a wide, short ball from Shaheen Afridi — had no other business but to be caught at mid-on as the ball swirled in the thin Bengaluru air for a good five seconds. But Usama Mir, on debut, didn’t even get his fingers on the ball.

Pakistan have been there, and it’s not pretty. In the 2015 World Cup, defending 2014 on a flat Adelaide pitch, Pakistan watched in horror as Rahat Ali dropped Shane Watson off Wahab Riaz’s short ball. Watson remained unbeaten on 64.

In 2019, at a chilly Taunton, Asif Ali had dropped Aaron Finch, again off Riaz, in the slips when he was on 37. Finch went on to score 82. In 2021, Hasan Ali dropped Matthew Wade at deep mid-wicket with Australia needing 20 off 10 balls. Wade hit six, six, six off the next three balls to finish the game.

Catches can win matches, as can several other things. But Pakistan field like Pakistan, so not much improved in that area as they continued to fumble and spill. It even seemed to have a rub-on effect on Australia.

Twelfth over, with Pakistan well on their way to a promising start, Abdullah Shafique tried to take on a short ball from Pat Cummins with a pull. This one dropped on Sean Abbott who was running back from midwicket. Eyes locked on the ball, right foot firmly planted an inch within the rope. Abbott couldn’t hold on and helped the ball to a six. Five overs later, Imam-ul-Haq tried to pull Glen Maxwell but speared the ball. But Cummins, manning midwicket, grassed it.

Some catches stick and some don’t. When Australia start dropping catches though, it becomes difficult to explain. Every team has specific catching drills, and it might well be said Australia have that skill hardwired in them as a basic instinct, even though their catch percentage has been the worst at this World Cup.

But Australia can also field like Australia. So when Cummins lunged to his right to complete a low catch of Babar Azam, Pakistan couldn’t be faulted for thinking that Warner drop was probably catching up with them.

Till then, Pakistan and Australia were going almost head-to-head. Pakistan hadn’t put on a double-hundred opening partnership like Warner and Marsh but as long as they were batting, Shafique and Imam were threading the field with utmost ease.

Azam’s entry—Mohammad Rizwan following him in two overs’ time—was the trigger Pakistan needed to change their batting gears. Balls started pinging off the advertising boards and for a fleeting phase, Pakistan looked completely in control of the chase. Till Cummins didn’t drop Azam.

Another partnership started blossoming between Saud Shakeel and Rizwan and this time Marcus Stoinis didn’t drop Shakeel’s catch running back. Iftikhar Ahmed hit the ground running, belting three sixes. But he was often playing off his backfoot, meaning Zampa only needed to get one googly right.

Ninety six from 60 was a vintage T20 asking rate, but not beyond Pakistan, not while Rizwan was at the crease. Zampa, however, had got a hang of the pitch by then.

He wasn’t afraid to toss the ball up before sneaking in the quicker, flatter zipper. One of those caught Rizwan by surprise as Zampa’s delivery evaded his attempted slog sweep to hit him on his back leg. Still 94 away from the target, Pakistan couldn’t have been faulted for wondering how much Mir’s dropped catch cost them.