Travis Head and Mitch Marsh have clubbed a world record T20 international powerplay score with a brutal display of hitting as Australia launched their white-ball UK tour by thrashing Scotland with more than half their overs to spare.
Head made 80 in 25 balls and Marsh 39 in 12 as the pair racked up 113 in the six overs – a mark which surpassed the 102 made by South Africa against the West Indies last year.
That enabled Australia to easily overhaul the target of 155 set by the hosts in the first of three T20s at the Grange in Edinburgh.
But the assault came after Jake Fraser-McGurk’s long-awaited debut had ended in failure, the young gun being caught for a third-ball duck holing out to midwicket.
Marsh prodded Brandon McMullen’s next ball just past gully’s outstretched right hand, but if that start gave Scotland hope of an upset it was swiftly dispelled.
Head took three boundaries off the next over, two fours and two sixes off the third, and two fours and a six off the fourth taking him to 47 off 16 balls.
At this point Marsh, standing in for the rested Pat Cummins as captain, joined the fun and hit 6, 6, 4, 6, 4, 4 off the sixth over.
Next over, it was Head’s turn again. That went 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, in the process equalling Marcus Stoinis’ Australian record for a fastest T20i 50, reaching it off his 17th ball.
That was it for the partnership that had sent the ball into neighbouring parks and tennis courts as Marsh was caught off the next ball, bowled by Mark Watt.
Watt’s trick is to bowl from 25 yards, and next ball he did, hitting the stumps as Josh Inglis stepped away. To boos from the crowd a deadball was the verdict. The decision was later clarified as correct by MCC, but Inglis had appeared to be ready and watching when Watt bowled.
Head was caught in the same over, after his fifth sixth, but the contest was long over. Inglis (27 off 13) and Stoinis (eight off five) finished the match off.
Earlier Australia’s pace bowlers, inexperienced at international level, adapted swiftly to conditions to put the brakes on the home side who had raced to 46 after five overs with the loss of only one wicket.
after newsletter promotion
Sean Abbott, called into the squad when Spencer Johnson was ruled out, took 3-39, though Xavier Bartlett was the pick with 2-23 from his four overs.
Marsh elected to field first and used six bowlers. Adam Zampa (2-33) and Riley Meredith (2-34) also delivered their full complement while Cam Green (1-12) and Stoinis (0-10) shared a quota.
Bartlett, who gained UK experience with Kent this season, made an early breakthrough when Oli Hairs miscued a pull and was caught by Marsh.
But with George Munsey clearing the ropes three times Scotland were eyeing a challenging score when Inglis took a superb flying catch off Abbott to dismiss him for 28 off 25. Bartlett picked up Brandon McMullen (19 off 22), caught by debutant Fraser Jake-McGurk.
This is the first of 11 matches on the tour with Australia subsequently facing England in three T20s and five ODIs.
