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!”
Mitch Marsh. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
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.”
JeffRo
Roar Pro
I believe Warner and Marsh got their centuries off consecutive balls. Has this happened many times before?
Grin
Roar Rookie
I think it's high time people stop unnecessarily criticising champions like Stonis . His spell was the turning point yesterday . He is a clutch player and has proved it so many times with both bat and ball .
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Green has been a major disappointment also so far , in games that he’s played for Australia. He’s just as likely to get zero with the bat & get slogged around if he bowls . So I’m failing to see the advantage of having him in the side? True that most of the batsmen were incredibly disappointing again ,against Pakistan . They were in a position to make 400 plus.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Hazlewood is by far the best of the three quicks - but seems to be the first one everyone would drop for some reason.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Thing is - the guy is a batsman first and foremost, that is his primary job. If they want to pick him as a bowler, they have to drop a front line bowler for him, he cannot play as a top 7 batsman as his batting simply isn’t good enough.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Not a huge fan of the Stoinis record so far . Yet in that game he completely turned the game around in the Pakistani innings. He got the first 2 wickets , then took a good catch . Gave them the impetus & was encouraging everyone . Without him, they were headed for a loss.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Agree. Green was pretty phenomenal in the ODIs in India last year.
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
Have two likes!
Shire
Roar Rookie
Yep, ME Waugh was definitely one of the top five ODI batsmen of his era, perhaps even in the top three. The only batsman to score more runs across his entire career was Tendulkar, and during his peak years of 93-01, only Tendulkar scored more centuries. Add to that his more-than-handy bowling and his incredible fielding, and I think Waugh is one of our best ever ODI players full stop. Watson is definitely underrated as a white ball player due to his more controversial Test career. Gets his due credit from subcontinental fans who are more interested in ODIs, generally, and due to his exposure in the IPL.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Hayden was good, but he’s nowhere near the best we’ve had. Watson is in that conversation and he brings so much else to the line up. Kind of like the story of his career, he didn’t open the whole time, only really after Hayden-Gilchrist and before Finch-Warner. As matth notes, M Waugh has to be one of those two. He was ahead of his time; his century count is still crazy, plus he was one of the finest fielders ever and a handy bowler.
The Bush
Roar Guru
This is a very good team, but not a great team, but they’ve selected poorly, so the balance is off. They’re short a spinner, between the two medium pace all rounders and two quirks, we don’t need a third quick in the conditions. What we need is more spin and some lower order hitting. If we had that; this’d be a great team. There’s also no denying that what’s worked in the past isn’t quite working now. Our best chance of winning the cup requires Starc to take early wickets like he has in the last two editions. Three games now in a row and that hasn’t happened. Hopefully he comes good soon.
matth
Roar Guru
Hayden was great later in his career. Mark Waugh a the forgotten guy in this discussion. A brilliant one day opener
matth
Roar Guru
Honestly in most games you have 2 or maybe 3 bats perform and maybe 2 bowlers. Plus it was a postage stamp ground. Best time to bat was with the hard ball. No bat from either side excelled once the ball got soft. Even Marsh and Warner slowed down to four an over for a 10 over period
matth
Roar Guru
The best time for batting was with the new ball, whereas it was tough with the softer ball. I think we need to accept that’s it’s not the same as playing here. Maybe start with a spinner to scuff the ball up more quickly
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
i think the issue with the 3 quicks strategy is that on average one of them will do well each game, but the other two don't? much prefer to see two of them only and then Green and maybe even Stoinis as well with Zampa Maxwell and Head bowling 25+ overs but all 3 quicks are harder to drop whenever you want to eg I had to jettison Haze from my team for last night be he then went and bowled the best... one's the skipper... one's the lefty... we are stuck in a good not great cohorterie
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
I’m a new gen kid so I didn’t even get to see Hayden and Gilchrist open together. Imo for me just based on 21st century ODI cricket, my top three Australian openers 1. Gilly 2. Warner 3. Watson (criminally underrated as opener in odi cricket)
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I don't think there's a bowler who averages 2 or more wickets per innings in ODIs. Certainly none of the greats do.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Some serious thought needs to go into the batting line up. Stoinis had to go, Green has so much upside. Head in for Smith. I’d open with Head and Warner. I’d bring Marsh in if there’s a wicker in the first 5 over, but otherwise I’d save him for later and send Labs in. Marsh is supreme against the quicks, but far less comfortable against spin. The goal would be to use him against the pacers when they come back on in the last 10-15 overs. The rest are just used when needed, Green at four after Labs and Ingliss and Maxwell to hit out later (like Marsh). This is the best we can do with who we have there.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Hazlewood’s performance was excellent to go at under 4 while everyone is else going over six and the opposition went at over seven is outstanding. Taking more than one wicket in an innings in ODIs isn’t something that happens every time, far from it
The Bush
Roar Guru
I think it’s fair to say he’s cemented himself as one of the top three openers we’ve ever had in ODIs and arguably top ten around the world ever