Big Show joins the party, Aussies rejoice

It was a third straight win for Cummins and Co, consolidating their place in top four

- Aditya Chaturvedi

MUMBAI: Despite defeats in their first two matches of the ongoing ICC Men's ODI World Cup, not many ruled-out the possibility of Australia making it to the semi-finals. After all, they're five-time champions and have a squad that's loaded with match-winners.

In Delhi, on Wednesday, they showed just how devastating they can be with a record-breaking 309run victory against Netherlands. It was a third successive win for Pat Cummins and Co, further solidifying their position in the top four.

In terms of men's ODI World Cups, this was the biggest-ever victory by runs. In terms of men's ODI cricket overall, this was the second-biggest victory by runs, behind India's 317-run win against Sri Lanka in January this year.

For the second game in a row, it was David Warner who stole the show at the top of the order. After scoring 163 runs against Pakistan, the left-hander registered his second successive century. But what would have probably pleased Australia more was the performance of some of their other key batters.

Opting to bat first, the Aussies posted a massive total of 399/8 to all but seal the outcome of the match. While Warner set the tone with his strokeplay, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschange got half-centuries in the middle order.

However, the highlight of the innings was a stunning 40-ball ton by Glenn Maxwell down the order.