Australian captain Aaron Finch powered his way to 172, a brand new world record high score, destroying Zimbabwe by 100 runs in the Twenty20 tri-series at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday. Not only that, his opening partnership with D'Arcy Short put up 223, creating yet another world record, and Australia reached 229 for 2, the highest total ever scored against Zimbabwe in a T20I. Finch cracked his first six in the fourth over of the morning, and with his third he brought up a 22-ball half century, his fastest in T20I.
Australia took 75 from the Powerplay, with Finch doing the bulk of the scoring while Short was content to turn the strike over to his big-hitting partner. Finch had 74 runs to his name, while Short had managed just 19 from 24 balls when the team hundred came up halfway through the 10th over. The latter soon began to find the middle of his own bat and took a brace of sixes off Ryan Burl's legspin to take his strike rate to over a run a ball. Meanwhile, Finch brought up his second T20I hundred at the end of the 14th over, a century which took just 50 deliveries.
Four overs later, his 15th four raised Australia's score to 200, and moved him beyond 150 with a swipe to deep midwicket. Finch soon surpassed his own world record high score of 156 with his ninth six. Short eventually fell swinging across the line at fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani to be caught for 46, while Finch fell in bizarre circumstances in the final over. While Muzarabani finished with two wickets to his name, left-arm spinner Tendai Chisoro was the only bowler to leave unscathed. It seemed for a minute that Zimbabwe might make a fist of their huge chase when openers Solomon Mire and Chamu Chibhabha rushed past 40 in the fourth over, but once they were dismissed regular wickets quickly stalled the innings.
Andrew Tye took 3 for 12 as Australia inflicted one last record against the host Zimbabwe, who slumped to their largest-ever defeat in T20Is. Zimbabwe will take on Pakistan on Wednesday in the tri-series' next match.
