HARARE: Australia registered another emphatic win over hosts Zimbabwe to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their One-day International series as Travis Head hit a century in Friday’s 84-run win.
Head bludgeoned 112 runs off 84 balls as the visitors’ top order laid the platform for victory in the second of three ODIs at the Harare Sports Club with Australia put to bat first and scoring 356-6 before dismissing Zimbabwe for 272 in 48.3 overs.
It was Australia’s highest score against Zimbabwe in an ODI.
Australia won the opening clash of the series by 59 runs on Tuesday and quickly took command on Friday as Head and captain Mitchell Marsh put on 130 runs for the opening stand and then Head added another 60 with Cooper Connolly for the second wicket.
Marsh, who was dropped first ball of the game, scored 53 from 63 balls while Connolly hit 78 off 69 balls to go past fifty for a third successive ODI.
But the most brutal batting came at the end of the innings as 20-year-old Ollie Peake scored an unbeaten 41 runs from 18 balls including three sixes in the final over as Zimbabwe pacer Brad Evans was hit to all corners.
Evans did get three wickets in the innings but for an expensive 86 runs off his nine overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe quickly fell behind the required run rate as Australia pegged them back despite a good batting top with the home side taking 14 overs to get to 50 runs.
Captain Sikandar Raza top scored for Zimbabwe with 45 while 40-year-old Brendan Taylor, who only on Tuesday replaced India great Sachin Tendulkar as the longest-serving One-day International player, scored 39.
Spinner Adam Zampa took 2-62 to go past 200 ODI wickets while opening bowler Josh Hazlewood returned from injury to take 2-48 in nine overs as the wickets were spread around the Australia attack, which lost Billy Stanlake to injury.
“I thought it was a complete performance from the boys and when Big Billy went down, our part-time bowlers stepped in,” said Marsh. “They all loved it and were keen for it.”
The last ODI of the series is on Sunday after which Australia head to neighbouring South Africa for another three-match series, starting next Tuesday in Durban.
SCOREBOARD
AUSTRALIA:
M. Marsh b Masakadza 53
T. Head c (sub) b Madhevere 112
C. Connolly c Taylor b Evans 78
J. Inglis c&b Masakadza 21
A. Carey c Curran b Evans 20
M. Renshaw c Kaia b Evans 15
O. Peake not out 41
N. Ellis not out 6
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-8) 10
TOTAL (for six wickets,50 overs) 356
DID NOT BAT: A. Zampa, J. Hazlewood, B. Stanlake
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-130 (Marsh), 2-190 (Head), 3-229 (Inglis), 4-286 (Carey), 5-297 (Connolly), 6-321 (Renshaw)
BOWLING: Muzarabani 9-0-68-0 (2w), Evans 9-0-86-3 (2w), Nyamhuri 5-0-37-0 (3w), Raza 10-0-60-0 (1w), Masakadza 9-0-51-2, Madhevere 8-0-52-1
ZIMBABWE:
B. Bennett b Renshaw 23
B. Curran b Renshaw 30
I. Kaia b Zampa 34
B. Taylor c Hazlewood b Peake 39
C. Ervine c Marsh b Zampa 38
S. Raza c Renshaw b Connolly 45
B. Evans c Connolly b Ellis 12
W. Madhevere lbw b Hazlewood 26
N. Nyamhuri b Hazlewood 2
W. Masakadza not out 10
B. Muzarabani b Connolly 0
EXTRAS (B-4, W-9) 13
TOTAL (all out, 48.3 overs) 272
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-46 (Bennett), 2-60 (Curran), 3-115 (Kaia), 4-159 (Taylor), 5-187 (Ervine), 6-218 (Evans), 7-253 (Madhevere), 8-255 (Nyamhuri), 9-272 (Raza)
BOWLING: Hazlewood 9-2-48-2 (3w), Stanlake 4.2-0-19-0 (1w), Ellis 6-0-31-1 (1w), Connolly 6.1-0-25-2 (1w), Renshaw 7-0-44-2 (1w), Peake 5-0-29-1, Head 2-0-10-0 (2w), Zampa 9-0-62-2
RESULT: Australia won by 84 runs.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Travis Head
Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2026
