Opener David Warner blasted a career-best 179 and dominated Australia's highest ever one-day partnership to help secure their 57-run victory in the fifth and final match against Pakistan in Adelaide.
Australian batsman David Warner. Photo: Photosport
Babar Azam (100) and Sharjeel Khan (79) kept alive Pakistan's hopes of chasing down a 370-run victory target but they collapsed for 312 in the final over as Australia wrapped up the series 4-1.
For Pakistan, Shoaib Malik retired hurt after scoring 10, while Umar Akmal made a brisk 46 down the order.
With the hosts having already taken an unassailable lead in the series, the contest was of merely academic interest but Warner's hunger for runs was on display in the high-scoring match at the Adelaide Oval again.
Warner went into the match with five centuries in his last 10 one-day innings and the diminutive left-hander brought up his sixth of the season in just 78 balls.
He was aided by his luck in the process.
After Australia elected to bat, Warner could have been dismissed from the first ball of the match but an airborne Azhar Ali spilled the edge at second slip off Mohammad Amir.
Some 32 overs later, Amir was the culprit as he floored a simple chance after Warner, then on 130, had gone after Hasan Ali, with the clanger leaving Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur shaking his head in dismay in the dressing room.
The 30-year-old set the tempo in the record 284-run stand with stop-gap opening partner Travis Head, who went on to make 128, his maiden one-day century.
The previous Australia record was the 260 Warner put on with Steve Smith for the second wicket in a 2015 World Cup match against minnows Afghanistan.
Having bettered his previous career-best of 178, made in that match against Afghanistan, Warner was in sight of the 200-mark when he started cramping.
The opener was eventually caught at point off Junaid Khan who dismissed home captain Smith in the same over. Warner belted 19 fours and five sixes in his 128-ball assault at the Adelaide Oval.
Head hit three sixes in his 137-ball knock and was one of five Australia wickets to fall in the final six overs of their innings.
Warner won't play against New Zealand in the Chappell-Hadlee series which starts in Auckland on Monday.
Former New Zealand cricket captain Jeff Crowe brought up a milestone of his own during the game, officiating in his 250th ODI match as match referee.
Crowe, who played 39 Tests and 75 ODIs for New Zealand between 1983 and 1990, has become only the third match referee to reach 250 ODIs after Ranjan Madugalle and Chris Broad.
Crowe said "It is always an honour to represent ICC and have a continued involvement in the great game of cricket."
"I look forward to adding a few more to the tally."
Meanwhile, the England cricketers have beaten India by seven wickets in the opening T20 international in Kanpur.
Beaten in the preceding test and one-day series, England showed discipline with the ball to stifle India's vaunted batting order, restricting them to a modest 147 for 7.
The visitors then returned to overhaul their opponents' target with 11 balls to spare, with skipper Eoin Morgan hitting a fluent 51 and Joe Root producing a run-a-ball 46 not out.
The teams now move to Nagpur for the second Twenty20 of the three-match series on Sunday.
- Reuters
