World Cup: Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne slam half-centuries against Netherlands
Australia put up a mammoth 399/8 against the Netherlands in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The Men in Yellow were powered by a quickfire century from David Warner. Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne duly supported Warner, smashing half-centuries. The former smashed his 10th fifty-plus score for Australia in the tournament. Here are the stats.
Smith smashes a 68-ball 71
Smith finally regained his form after playing a power-packed knock. He worked in tandem with Warner, finding boundaries consistently. The former went on to smash 71 off 68 balls, a knock laced with 9 fours and a six. He smashed his 31st ODI fifty and a first in World Cup 2023. This was only his second half-century in the format in 2023.
10 fifty-plus scores for Australia in WCs
Smith has become only the second player to score 10 or more fifty-plus scores for Australia in ODI World Cups. He went past Adam Gilchrist (9) in this regard. Warner, who scored a century against the Netherlands, joined Gilchrist on this list. Notably, former captain Ricky Ponting has the most 50+ scores for Australia in the tournament (11).
Labuschagne slams his ninth ODI fifty
Labuschagne scored a vital 62 off 47 balls. He silenced the detractors who questioned him for his low strike rate. The right-handed batter smashed 7 fours and 2 sixes in his knock. He shared a crucial 84-run partnership alongside Warner. However, Lauschagne was dismissed by Bas de Leede in the 37th over after smashing his ninth ODI half-century.
Maiden World Cup fifty for Labuschagne
During the match, Labuschagne raced past 1,400 runs in ODI cricket. He now has 1,451 runs from 43 ODIs at an average of 37.20. The tally includes 11 fifty-plus scores, including two tons. The one against the Netherlands was his maiden half-century in ODI World Cups. Labuschagne now has over 600 runs at 46.21 in the format in 2023.
