Head's 75-ball hundred leads Australia to series-clinching ODI win against Zimbabwe

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Opening batter Travis Head smashed a 75-ball hundred as he led Australia to a series-clinching 84-run victory in the second cricket ODI against Zimbabwe on Friday.

Head’s swashbuckling 112 off 84 balls was well supported by captain Mitchell Marsh’s 53, his 21st ODI half century, and Cooper Connolly’s 78, his third successive 50-plus score in the format, in Australia's sizeable total of 356-6.

Zimbabwe never looked likely to reach the target, despite five of the top six batters scoring 30 or more, and was bowled out for 272 in 48.3 overs.

Captain Sikandar Raza top-scored with 45 while Brendan Taylor (39) and Craig Ervine (38) went at almost a run-a-ball against some disciplined spin bowling.

Australia, playing ODIs in Zimbabwe for the first time in 12 years, won the first game by 59 runs and is favorite to sweep the series in Sunday's third fixture.

Josh Hazlewood (2-48) and Billy Stanlake, the two changes Australia made from the first game, bowled tidy lengths with the new ball but the tourists suffered an injury blow when Stanlake left the field due to a side strain in his fifth over.

The spinners then squeezed Zimbabwe after the powerplay with Matt Renshaw bowling openers Brian Bennett (23) and Ben Curran (30) in his first two overs.

Adam Zampa (2-62) then bowled Innocent Kaia (34) with a superb googly to get his 200th ODI wicket. He also had Ervine well caught by Marsh at short third man from a mistimed reverse sweep.

Connolly (2-25) wrapped up the win with two wickets off successive balls, Raza slicing a catch to long off before No. 11 Blessing Muzarabani was bowled.

Earlier, Raza had expected his pace attack to exploit early moisture, but his decision to bowl first after winning the toss backfired as Australia posted its highest ODI score against Zimbabwe.

Wessly Madhevere couldn’t hold onto a tough chance at backward point, when Marsh drove at Muzarabani, as the openers raced to 62-0 in eight overs, smashing nine fours and two sixes.

Head and Marsh went on to post a 130-run stand off 114 balls. Marsh completed his half century with a pull for six off Wellington Masakadza before he was undone by the left-arm spinner in the next over, and was clean bowled off a delivery that turned away from the right-hand batter.

Head, who struck 15 fours and three sixes, continued to score at a brisk pace and brought up his hundred midway through the innings with a single. He then skied a catch to cover point against Madhevere's slower ball.

The strong middle-order, led by Connolly’s 69-ball innings and Ollie Peake’s 41 off 18 balls, produced a late onslaught for Australia.

Peake hit 24 runs from Brad Evans' final over that featured three sixes. Muzarabani (0-68) and Newman Nyamhuri (0-37), who took five wickets in the first game, drew a blank but Evans finished with 3-86.

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