Australian opener David Warner said the team lives for the World Cups as this is the biggest tournament in the game. Warner continued his rich vein of form as he scored a fine knock of 104 runs off just 93 balls against the Netherlands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Wednesday.
The left-hander played at the top of his game and stitched a crucial alliance of 132 runs with Steve Smith, who also got back into form to play an important knock of 71 runs. Warner scored 11 fours and three sixes in his blistering knock.
Furthermore, he added another imperative partnership of 84 runs with Marnus Labuschagne, who contributed 62. In fact, the Netherlands had a great chance to run out David Warner but Max O’Dowd misfielded and could not get the throw on time to the wicket-keeper’s end.
After Warner’s sixth World Cup century, Glenn Maxwell created history as he smashed a 40-ball hundred, the fastest in World Cup history. The platform was laid out for the hard-hitting all-rounder and he grabbed it with both hands to propel Australia’s score to 399 runs.
David Warner said after the game while talking to the official broadcaster, “We live for those World Cups, every four years, we really have to shine in those. I try and emulate what I do in the bilateral series. To be in the same category and class is special for us.”
On the other hand, the Dutch were skittled out for 90 runs, losing by a gargantuan margin of 309 runs, the biggest loss in World Cup history in terms of runs. The Netherlands kept losing wickets at regular intervals with Adam Zampa bagging another four-wicket haul (4-8). Warner showered praise on the leg-spinner for continuing his rich form.
Warner said of Zampa, “Really proud of him, he had back spasms a couple of games ago, kept going out and going in. We have a running joke with him, we have changed him from right-arm legbreak to right-arm googly. We told him as well and had a laugh. Good to see him take wickets and great signs going into the New Zealand game.”
Australia will next take on New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala on Saturday.
