T20 skipper Aaron Finch’s record 172, and Wimbledon hope Nick Kyrgios’ 42 aces, were explosive Australian performances overnight.
Finch not only set a new individual international T20 world record, but his 223 opening stand with D’Arcy Short (46) set a new mark as well, as did the 100-run victory over Zimbabwe at Harare.
Finch smashed 16 fours and ten maximums off just 76 deliveries to break his own record of 156, set against England five years ago.
Short played a secondary role, with his three fours and two sixes off 42 deliveries, and was dismissed with four deliveries left of the innings.
Finch demolished his stumps with two to go, leaving Marcus Stoinis to score a run off the second-last ball, and a scoreless Glenn Maxwell faced the other.
Lowly Zimbabwe’s claim to fame is they weren’t dismissed, finishing with 9-129, while Australian paceman AJ Tye at last found the line and length he’d lost on tour, finishing with three cheap wickets.
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Kyrgios is very different to the stable Finch – a strange mixture of explosion, and exasperation.
The 15th seed moved into the second round at Wimbledon with a 7-6 7-6 6-7 6-3 win over tough journeyman Denis Estomin in two hours 34 minutes.
‘Explosive’ covers Kyrgios’ incredible serve and forehand, while his backhand isn’t too shabby either.
‘Explosive’ also covers Kyrgiois’ fragile temper that, to his credit, he controlled overnight.
‘Exasperation’ are his brain fades, with chip shots and drop shots he simply cannot play giving away soft points at critical stages.
Those fades cost him the third set, and made him vulnerable had he blown his stack, which was on the cards when he started muttering to himself.
The turning point was a bazooka Kyrgios serve that struck a hapless ballgirl on the left arm while she was on duty in the backcourt.
A genuinely concerned Kyrgios rushed to the other end of the court and gave her a hug as she left in tears and obviously considerable pain.
Soon after, Kyrgios broke Estomin for the only time to cruise home 6-3 in the fourth to love on his serve, finishing with his 42nd ace to Estomin’s six.
Barring brain fades and blow-ups, Kyrgios can make a big noise at the home of tennis. And it’s about time, with all his wonderfully gifted natural ability.
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Highest individual T20 international scores
Aaron Finch (Australia) – 172 off 76, with 16 fours and ten sixes against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2018
Finch – 156 off 63, with 11-14 against England at Southampton in 2013
Glenn Maxwell – 145* off 65, with 14-9 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2016
Evin Lewis (West Indies) – 125* off 62, with 6-12 against India at Kingston in 2017
And Shane Watson (Australia) – 124* off 71, with 10-6 against India at SCG in 2016
Highest international T20 opening partnerships
Aaron Finch-D’Arcy Short (Australia) – 233 against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2018
Martin Guptill-Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 171* against Pakistan at Hamilton in 2016
Graeme Smith-Loots Bosman (South Africa) – 170 against England at Centurion in 2009
Rohit Sharma-Kanninur Ruhul (India) – 165 against South Africa at Indore in 2017
Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan (India) – 160 against Ireland at Dublin in 2018
Most aces on the ATP Tour this year
Kevin Anderson (South Africa) – 533 from 33 matches, at an average of 16.15 per match
John Isner (USA) – 505 from 25, average 20.2
Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) – 463 from 21, average 22.04
Nick Kyrgios (Aust) – 418 from 20, average 20.9
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