Opener Watson made one-day international cricket history with the highest ever score by an Australian as the visitors romped to victory against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Chasing what had seemed a testing target of 230, Australia reached it in 26 overs, with nine wickets in hand, as the blond allrounder smashed an unbeaten 185 in 96 balls to become a one-man wrecking crew.
Watson’s innings included 15 sixes, the most by any player in a one-day match ever, with the previous record 12 by West Indian Xavier Marshall.
He also amassed the biggest proportion of runs by an individual in a team’s one-day score, with 79.7 per cent of Australia’s total, ousting West Indian master blaster Viv Richards (69.48 per cent) from the top of that tally.
Watson reached his ton in the 20th over, in just 69 balls, which left him trailing only Hayden (66 balls) and Adam Gilchrist (67) for Australia’s quickest centuries.
But he picked up the pace even further after his ton, with nine sixes to follow, including four in successive balls off Suhrawadi Shuvo and later three in an over off fellow left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak.
