Bristol: A clinical display from the Australians, led by David Warner (89* off 114 balls), saw them thrash Afghanistan by seven wickets in their opening game of the 2019 World Cup on Saturday.
Chasing 208 for a win, Australia rode on half-centuries from skipper Aaron Finch and Warner as they emerged victorious with 91 balls to spare. The duo laid the foundation of the Australian chase with an opening stand of 96 runs in just 16 overs. Finch was the more agressive, smashing his way to 66 runs off 49 balls.
Warner played a more steady innings, batting till the end to take the Aussies home.Earlier, opting to bat first, the Afghans rode some resilient batting, including a half-century by Najibullah Zadran to post 207 after they were struggling at 77/5 at one stage.
Brief scores: Australia: 209/3 (David Warner 89 not out, Aaron Finch 66) beat Afghanistan: 207 all out in 38.2 overs (Najibullah Zadran 51, Rahmat Shah 43; Pat Cummins 3/40, Adam Zampa 3/60) by seven wickets. (IANS)
