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Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh have set a record 250-run opening stand for Australia against South Africa in ODIs, going past Hayden and Gilchrist.
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh built a 250-run partnership (Picture credit: AFP)
Star Australia batter Travis Head and skipper Mitchell Marsh on Sunday, August 24, created history to become the first duo from the country to build a 250-run opening partnership against South Africa in ODIs, going past the 170-run partnership between Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in 2002 in Durban.
Head was in imperious form, smashing 142 off 103 deliveries, while Marsh complemented him with a hundred from 106 balls, the duo combining for Australia’s first 100-run opening partnership since the 2023 World Cup.
Captain Marsh won the toss and chose to bat, with the opening duo making an aggressive start, driving Australia to 86/0 after the 10-over powerplay.
In the 2002 Durban ODI between the Aussies and South Africa, the hosts posted 267/6, riding on a half-century from Jonty Rhodes. In the chase, Hayden and Gilchrist built a match-winning 170-run partnership before the former was dismissed by Nantie Hayward.
After Australia were reduced to 180/2 in the 34th over, skipper Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn added 91 runs for the third wicket to take Australia to an eight-wicket win.
Meanwhile, Head continued his aggressive form on Sunday, racing to a half-century off only 32 deliveries with effortless fours.
At the other end, Marsh slammed two big sixes as he got in the groove as well, going after South Africa’s fresh new-ball pairing of Kwena Maphaka and Wiaan Mulder.
With the bowlers struggling to contain him, Head sailed to his seventh ODI hundred, nudging Senuran Muthusamy down the ground for a simple single.
Head unleashed a flurry of powerful strokes before falling to Keshav Maharaj, caught in the deep by Dewald Brevis after smashing 17 boundaries and five sixes.
Marsh battled to three figures soon after but was out next delivery, taken on the run by wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton after he skied Muthusamy.
Meanwhile, Head also equalled former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s record of being part of the most 250-plus stands in ODIs, at three.
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