2nd ODI: Smith fires yet again as Australia set 390-run target for India

Sydney, November 29, 2020

Steve Smith on Sunday continued his prolific run as he smashed yet another hundred against India to help Australia post a gigantic 390-run target for the Men in Blue in the second ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Electing to bat first, Australia once again had a great start as skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner made most of the batting friendly conditions and amassed 142 runs for the opening wicket.

Finch was the first wicket to fall in the 23rd over as he went back to the pavilion after contributing with 60 runs, which included six 4s and a six.

However, Warner continued from the other end and looked all set for a well-deserved century before Shreyas Iyer's brilliance in the outfield saw the left-handed batsman getting run out at his individual score of 83, an innings studded with seven 4s and three 6s.

Smith continued from where he left the innings in the last match as he scored boundaries at will and kept the Indian bowlers under immense pressure. Such was his sheer dominance that skipper Virat Kohli had to brought in a semi-fit Hardik Pandya to bowl in the 36th over of the innings.

Smith and Marnus Labuschagne shared a 132-run partnership during the course of which Smith brought up his 11th hundred in just 62 balls. The 32-year-old, after scoring 104 runs with the help of fourteen 4s and two 6s, was caught at short third-man off the bowling of Pandya.

Glenn Maxwell, who came in next, kept collecting runs for Australia quickly like in the first ODI as he and Labuschagne made use of each and every scoring opportunity and kept piling misery on the Indian bowlers. Both stitched an 80-run partnership before Labuschagne fell in the 49th over at his individual score of 70 runs.

In the 50th over, Maxwell brought up his half century, made off just 25 balls. Australia ended their innings at 389/4 with Maxwell and Moises Henriques remaining unbeaten on 63 and 2 respectively.

Brief Scores: Australia 389/4(Steve Smith 104, David Warner 83; Hardik Pandya 1/24)

IANS