David Warner went back to the top of the Cricket World Cup run-scorer charts with a century against Bangladesh, and helped his Australia side back to the summit of the points table in the process.
The opener hit 166, his 16th one-day international hundred, to lay the platform for Australia’s tally of 381-5.
It said much about the benign batting conditions that Bangladesh made their highest ever one-day international score, with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring a century – yet still fell 48 runs short of their opponents.
It meant Australia leapfrogged New Zealand at the top of the points table, and the already look to have all but sealed a place in the semi-finals.
As has been the case for him so far in this World Cup, Warner was initially watchful, before piling on quick runs after he had reached three figures.
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His innings was the second highest score by an Australia batsman in World Cups, after the 178 that he himself made against Afghanistan on home soil four years ago.
“It’s a great achievement, but for us it was about getting these two points and moving on to the next game at Lord’s [where Australia face No 1 ranked England on Tuesday],” Warner said.
“You aim to keep wickets in hand, especially in one-day cricket. That is the way we play. It is not like we go out there and not try to get off to a good start, but you have to respect the new ball.
“Give credit to the bowlers, they have bowled well to us in patches. Then after you get past that, it is about knocking it around and trying to target six to eight an over.”
The defending champions could scarcely have found the going much easier with the bat.
There were century stands for both the first wicket, between Warner and Aaron Finch, and the second, with Usman Khawaja making 89 in concert with Warner.
And Glenn Maxwell, promoted to No 4 in the search for quick late-over runs, might also have caused carnage, too, had he not perished in a mix up between the wickets.
Having reached 32 in just 10 balls, Maxwell looked furious when he was run out by Rubel Hossain, having been sent back from a single by Khawaja.
Either way, an assault in the final power play meant Australia were able to sign for a huge total from their 50 overs.
Bangladesh’s outside hopes of chasing the massive target realistically centred on a partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.
Shakib has been in rare touch at this competition so far, and appeared set to carry on where he had left off in the fine century he had made against West Indies last time out as he started well against Australia.
He breezed to 41 with little trouble, as he and Tamim shared 79 in less than 15 overs for the second wicket.
When he fell, though, chipping a leading edge to Warner off Marcus Stoinis, it felt as though Bangladesh’s hopes went with him.
The side from the subcontinent did their best to resist the inevitable. Tamim made 62 before dragging a delivery from Mitchell Starc onto his stumps.
Mushfiqur made 102, and was joined in a spiky alliance worth 127 with Mahmudullah, who blazed three huge sixes in his innings of 69 from 50 balls. Despite their efforts, the result was never really in doubt.
“If we had conceded 40 or 50 runs fewer, it would have been a different mindset for the batters,” Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, said.
