Australia put its stamp on a tournament of mind-boggling scores by recording the highest innings total in World Cup history here on Wednesday. Michael Clarke’s men made 417 for six against Afghanistan at the WACA ground to eclipse the 413 India had run up against Bermuda in Port of Spain in 2007 and secure a crushing 275-run victory.
David Warner smashed a career-high 178 and Glenn Maxwell a typically frantic half-century to put their team’s campaign back on track.
Afghanistan was bowled out inside 38 overs, Mitchell Johnson taking four for 22 on a predictably quick, bouncy surface. The Afghan challenge — if anyone entertained the thought at any point — truly collapsed with the exits of Samiullah Shenwari.and Nawroz Mangal in the space of four balls.
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Shenwari was caught at fine leg off Clarke, who bowled five overs in an innings for the first time since July 2012. Mangal, the former captain, made 33 before Aaron Finch snaffled an excellent catch at first slip to end his stay.
Najibullah Zadran then thrilled the small section of Afghan supporters with a towering six off Maxwell. In the next over, Mitchell Starc bowled him with a thunderbolt of a yorker, measured at 149 kph.
Afghanistan was eventually bowled out for 142, as Australia claimed its biggest win in one-dayers.
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The margin of victory was the highest in World Cups (by runs) and also the second-highest in all ODI cricket, behind New Zealand’s 290-run triumph over Ireland in 2008.
Afghanistan’s decision to field first was cheered heartily by a crowd of 12,710 that had gathered in anticipation of a dominant Australian performance.
Warner put on a show that would disappoint no one. The early part of his innings was characterised by sensible run gathering, although anything remotely short was pulled ferociously. He soon grew wings and soared out of Afghanistan’s control.
There were cut shots off the leg-spin of Samiullah Shenwari and a brutal lash through the covers off Dawlat. Attempted bouncers were disdainfully packed off to the leg-side boundary as Warner reached his fourth one-day ton off 92 balls; Steve Smith, his partner of some 21 overs, was still on 36.
Oddly, Warner had struck no sixes off the first 103 deliveries he faced; he smashed four of them in his next nine balls, all fierce hits off Shapoor and Dawlat Zadran. The 150 was hurriedly raised off Nabi, with a boundary clubbed (there is no other word for it) past the bowler’s face.
More than 15 overs remained at that stage and there was no saying how much Warner could make. A variety of individual records beckoned, but the left-hander was caught for 178 in the 38th over when his attempted swipe over the leg-side took the top edge. That dismissal broke a stand of 260 runs between Warner and Smith, the highest by an Australian pair for any wicket.
It heralded the arrival of Maxwell, who unleashed the full force of his mad batting on Afghanistan. There were scoops, flicks, and even a reverse-swept six off Shapoor. He made 88 off 39 balls while Smith, at the other end, fell five short of a hundred. Australia comfortably crossed 400, the third such score in the tournament.