Australia vs Zimbabwe 2nd ODI Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle. Brian Bennett and Ben Curran are the two openers for Zimbabwe. Josh Hazlewood will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Tough outing with the ball - Zimbabwe's decision to bowl first backfired as they struggled to make early inroads despite some movement for the pacers. Their first breakthrough did not come until the 19th over, with Wellington Masakadza providing the opening. The spinners kept things tight through the middle overs but could not strike regularly, with Sikandar Raza economical without a wicket, while Masakadza added one more to his tally and Wessly Madhevere picked up one. Brad Evans was the standout with three wickets, but his final over undid much of the good work as he conceded 24 runs. In the chase, Zimbabwe will need to take a leaf out of Australia's book, particularly their sharp running between the wickets, which helped keep the scoreboard moving. With a mountain to climb, the batters have their work cut out. Join us in a bit for the second essay.

Head and Marsh set the tone - Asked to bat first, Australia made the most of the conditions, with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh taking an aggressive approach and racing to 78 in the first Powerplay. Both openers brought up fifties before Marsh fell to end a 130-run stand, but Head carried on, finding good support from Cooper Connolly as the pair added 60. Head went on to smash a superb hundred, keeping Australia firmly in control. Connolly then took charge, adding useful stands with Josh Inglis and Alex Carey before bringing up his second fifty of the series. He eventually fell for 78, just short of what could have been a hundred, with Australia nearing 300 by then. A few lower-order cameos, none more significant than Oliver Peake's fiery 41 off just 18 balls, pushed Australia over 350, which looked unlikely going into the final over.

Australia post record total - Australia have put on a commanding batting display, posting their highest ODI total against Zimbabwe. The openers laid a strong platform before the middle order kept the momentum going. Zimbabwe did have a few spells where they pulled things back, but Brad Evans was smashed for 24 runs in the final over, undoing some of the hard work. They now face a daunting chase if they are to keep the series alive.

Can Brad Evans keep Australia under 340?

The next batter in is Nathan Ellis.

Is that a clean catch? The replay shows that Innocent Kaia has his fingers underneath the ball and it is a fair grab.

On to the final game - Righto, that is all we have from this game and Australia have sealed the three-match ODI series 2-0, but there's still one more game to go. The third and final ODI will yet again be played in Harare, on Sunday, September 20, beginning at 7.30 am GMT. Australia might look to test their bench strength before gearing up for their long series against South Africa, whereas Zimbabwe will be eager to take the learnings from the first two games and turn them into something substantially positive. As usual, you can also join us a lot sooner than the start time for the build-up. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Let's now hear from Australia's captain - Mitchell Marsh says that it was a complete performance from the boys. Adds that, obviously, he and Head laid out the platform, and it was good to see guys like Connolly and Peake step up in the middle order and play their roles perfectly. Marsh mentions that Billy Stanlake getting injured was not ideal, but they had plenty of all-rounders and part-timers to chip in, and calls it fun to handle these kinds of situations. Marsh ends by saying that he does not have any update on Billy, but hopefully he will be fine.

Player of the Match - The award is given to Travis Head for his brilliant knock of 112 off just 84 balls. He says that it was good to spend some time in the middle and mentions that the partnership with Mitchell Marsh was a good one. Adds that in a three-game series, you have to know that you might get one or maybe two good games, so you need to make the most of it. Goes on to add that they knew they had to dominate the Powerplay with the bat, which would get them ahead in the game, and run rate wouldn't be an issue later on.

The captain of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza backs his decision to bowl first, pointing to the early carry and movement the seamers got. He feels Australia deserve credit for the way Head and Marsh negotiated the new ball and put them under pressure, with even good deliveries finding the boundary at times. Assessing the total, Raza says 356 was too much on a good batting surface, believing 300-310 would have been chaseable, while 310-320 would have made for a very different game. At the innings break, they had discussed reaching 170-180 after 30 overs and 250-260 after 40, with wickets in hand, but they fell behind that plan. Raza also credits Australia's bowlers for breaking partnerships just as their batters looked set to kick on, with most getting into the 30s but none going on to make a fifty or hundred.

The Presentation ceremony...

A lack of belief from the hosts - It wasn't a good performance in the field from Zimbabwe, but with the bat, almost everyone in that top 8 got starts, and yet there wasn't a single half-century scored by a Zimbabwean batter. As many as four batters lost their wickets in the 30s, and Sikandar Raza top-scored with 45. This shows that the hosts have the ability but it is rather the execution that is lacking against a formidable opponent. They will now look to apply themselves better in all aspects of the game and try to end the series with a win, which is easier said than done.

The Aussie spinners rule the roost - Josh Hazlewood and Billy Stanlake started off decently with the ball and didn't give away too many runs, but when Stanlake switched ends, he pulled up with a side strain and the visitors were a bowler short. Mitchell Marsh turned to spin and rotated the bowlers around with one-over spells. Matt Renshaw struck twice and then Australia had complete control of the game. The wickets didn't fall in clusters in the middle overs, but whenever a partnership threatened to get going, the Aussies managed to take wickets. Adam Zampa went on to become the second Australian spinner to take 200 ODI wickets, as he, Renshaw, Josh Hazlewood and Cooper Connolly all picked up a couple of wickets each. Oliver Peake and Nathan Ellis also got a wicket each as the Aussies managed to bowl Zimbabwe out with 9 balls to spare.

Batters set the tone for Australia - After a low score in the first game, Travis Head came out firing and stitched together a 130-run opening stand with Mitchell Marsh. Head went on to score 112, the highest score by an Aussie batter against Zimbabwe in ODIs. Marsh also struck a fifty, as did Cooper Connolly, who got out for 78. Oliver Peake then laid the finishing touches with a blitzkrieg 41 unbeaten off just 18 balls to take Australia over the 350-run mark.

Done and dusted - Australia seal the three-match ODI series with a game to spare, and they have been dominant in all aspects of the game. As for Zimbabwe, it's the same story as they fail to play the long game and crumble under pressure against a big-name opponent.

Blessing Muzarabani is the last batter in for Zimbabwe.