Australia post highest Cricket World Cup score as David Warner nets ton

David Warner smoked a career-best 178 as Australia posted a World Cup record 417-6 in their thumping win over Afghanistan at The WACA.

Warner thumped 19 fours and five sixes en route to his maiden World Cup ton as Australia eclipsed India’s 413-5 against Bermuda at Port of Spain in 2007.

The co-hosts then dismissed Afghanistan for 142 in 37.3 overs to win by 275 runs - the widest margin in the tournament's history - and move up to third spot in Pool A ahead of final group-phase encounters against Sri Lanka and Scotland.

Warner missed out on becoming the second man, after Chris Gayle, to score a double hundred in the tournament when he looped the 133rd delivery of his innings to Afghanistan skipper Mohammed Nabi at mid-on.

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But he did plunder his way to the best individual total by an Australian at a World Cup, beating Matthew Hayden’s 158 during a Super Eight clash against West Indies in Antigua in 2007.

The 28-year-old and Steven Smith (95 from 98) also put on a record ODI partnership for the Baggy Greens, with their second-wicket stand of 260 besting the 252 Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting amassed against England in 2009.

Smashed

Australia, put into bat by Afghanistan in Perth, pushed on after Warner’s exit, though, with Smith and Glenn Maxwell (88 off 39), the latter creaming seven sixes during a pulsating knock.

Smith and Maxwell shared a fourth-wicket stand of 65 before the former drove to Najibullah Zadran at mid-off to fall five runs shy of a maiden World Cup century.

Maxwell, however, smashed Afghanistan’s bowlers all around the wicket and seemed primed to thump the fastest World Cup century in history, a record currently held by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien, who achieved the feat off 50 balls against England in 2011.

But the Melbourne-born star was eventually deceived by a slower delivery from Dawlat Zadran – the seamer who had removed Aaron Finch (four) with just 14 runs on the board – and clothed to extra cover.

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Brad Haddin (20no off nine balls) and Perth boy Mitchell Marsh (8no) then fired Australia past 400 for the second time in one-day international cricket following their record score of 434-4 against South Africa in 2006.

Michael Clarke’s side soon reduced Afghanistan to 46-3, though Norwoz Mangal (33) biffed two sixes off Mitchell Marsh in a fourth-wicket stand of 48 with Samiullah Shenwari (17).

However, the associate nation’s resistance was broken when they lost two further wickets with the score on 94, Clarke snaffling Shenwari with his part-time spin and Mangal departing to a peach of a slip catch from Finch.

Najibullah Zadran (24) dug in but Australia polished off the tail, with Mitchell Johnson (4-22), Mitchell Starc (2-18) and Hazlewood (2-25) doing the brunt of the damage.

Watch highlights of Australia’s game with Afghanistan throughout the day on Sky Sports World Cup (channel 403) and Zee Cinema (cnahhel 790), as well as the best bits from Pakistan and UAE’s encounter in Napier.