Mitchell Marsh breaks Ricky Ponting's record after show-stealing hundred in NZ vs AUS 3rd T20I
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh shattered Ricky Ponting's record while famously leading his team to a series win over New Zealand. Marsh scored a blistering lone hand as he scored an unbeaten 103 from 52 balls and helped the Aussies chase 157 in the third and final T20I of the series at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Saturday, October 4.
New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham had a brilliant day with the ball as he took four wickets with no Aussie batter able to stand the Kiwi bowlers efforts. But Marsh stood tall and played fought a lone fight as he kept butchering the bowlers. After his 103, the next best score belonged to Mitchell Owen, who had made a 10-ball 14.
Meanwhile, after slamming a ton, he broke a Ponting record. Marsh has become the first captain to score a T20I hundred in New Zealand with Ponting holding the record for the previous highest score of 98*. Marsh is also the first Aussie skipper to have scored a T20I ton against the Kiwis, with Ponting having fallen short in the same match, which was also the first T20I match to have been ever played in 2005 against the Kiwis.
Marsh second captain with hundred in chase
The all-rounder has also become the second captain from a full-member team to have hit a century in T20I chases, joining Babar Azam on the list. Babar had achieved the feat twice, once against South Africa in Centurion in 2021 and then against England in Karachi in 2022.
Captains with hundreds in T20I chases:
122 - Babar Azam vs SA, Centurion, 2021
110* - Babar Azam vs ENG, Karachi, 2022
Marsh third Aussie skipper with T20I century
He is now also the third Aussie captain to have hit a century in the T20I format, joining the likes of Aaron Finch and Shane Watson. Finch had scored 172, which is also the highest individual T20I score, as captain against Zimbabwe in 2018 in Harare. Watson had made an unbeaten 124 as skipper against India in 2016 in Sydney.
T20I hundreds for Australia captains
172 - Aaron Finch vs ZIM, Harare, 2018
124* - Shane Watson vs IND, Sydney, 2016
103* - Mitchell Marsh vs NZ, Mount Maunganui, 2025
