Mitchell Marsh recorded his career-best score as Australia beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the Cricket World Cup on Saturday.
Marsh reached 177 not out off 132 balls as Australia registered their highest successful run-chase in World Cup history.
He put on 175 runs off 135 balls for the unbeaten third wicket with Steve Smith, who scored 63 not out as Australia finished with 307-2 in 44.4 overs.
This was after Adam Zampa picked 2-32 in 10 overs to help restrict Bangladesh to 306-8.
It was Australia’s seventh straight win in the tournament. The five-time champions had started slow with losses to India and South Africa but bounced back in style to confirm a semifinal spot.
Australia finished third in the standings with 14 points — equal with second-placed South Africa but lower on net run-rate.
The Aussies will play South Africa in the semifinals on Thursday in Kolkata. The two sides had also met in the 1999 World Cup semifinal at Edgbaston, where Australia advanced after a thrilling tied game.
Elsewhere, in the second game of the day, England won the toss and opted to bat, thus effectively ending Pakistan’s hopes of overtaking New Zealand on run-rate and finishing fourth.
In Kolkata, Ben Stokes scored 84 runs and Joe Root made 60 helping England finish with 337-9 in 50 overs. Pakistan needs to score 338 runs in 6.4 overs to qualify for the semifinals — a mathematical improbability.
In Wednesday’s semifinal, hosts and table-toppers India will face New Zealand in Mumbai. The two sides had also met in the 2019 World Cup semifinal, where the Black Caps had won across a rain-affected match played over two days.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh are placed eighth and will qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy unless the Netherlands beats India on Sunday.