Mitchell Marsh becomes just second cricketer to smash World Cup hundred on birthday during AUS vs PAK 2023 World Cup match

Australian opener Mitchell Marsh celebrated his 32nd birthday in some style, scoring a sensational hundred in the 2023 World Cup match against Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, October 20.

The opener scored 121 runs off just 108 balls including 10 fours and nine sixes and smashed the Pakistan bowlers to all parts of the ground almost at will. He also contributed to the second-highest World Cup opening partnership, adding a staggering 269 runs with David Warner. The duo provided an incredible platform for the Aussies to get to a mammoth first-innings score.

The way Mitchell Marsh celebrated after getting to his milestone just showed how much it meant to him. He was batting at the top of the order in the absence of the injured Travis Head and has certainly done a stellar job for his team.

Coincidentally, only one player had a World Cup hundred to his name before and it was New Zealand's Ross Taylor, who also brought up the milestone against Pakistan in Pallekele in the 2011 edition.

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Mitchell Marsh, David Warner pile misery on Pakistan

Usama Mir dropped a simple catch of David Warner that deprived Pakistan of a perfect start after opting to bowl first. That effort seemed to have deflated them as the two openers just picked the bones out of Pakistan's bowling attack in flat conditions in Bengaluru.

Although Pakistan managed to stop Australia from scoring 400-plus, they will need to bat out of their skin to come anywhere near the target.

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Australia XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Pakistan XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.