Tim David and Marcus Stoinis have made it a fruitful day for Australian big hitters in India, with the two power batters helping muscle their sides to victory in the IPL.
David produced one of his rollicking specials on Sunday, cracking an unbeaten 45 off just 21 balls to help propel Mumbai Indians to their first win of the season in their home Wankhede Stadium against a struggling, Australian-flavoured Delhi Capitals side.
Then later, allrounder Stoinis blasted his eighth IPL half-century to set the platform for the Justin Langer-coached Lucknow Super Giants to beat the Gujarat Titans by 33 runs in Lucknow.
Still, both the Aussie strikers, having clouted half-a-dozen sixes between them, would have doffed their caps to the real star of the day - West Indian Romario Shepherd, who offered up a quite extraordinary display of batting pyrotechnics at the end of Mumbai's innings.
With David going along like a train at the other end, having himself hit two huge sixes and four boundaries, the big Guyanese allrounder was given his stage in the final over, bowled by South African speedster Anrich Nortje.
And what an over!
The quicker Nortje came in, the further Shepherd seemed to hit him, one monstrous six even disappearing out the substantial ground. In all, he took 32 off the six balls - 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 - to take Mumbai to 5-234.
"Just exciting to watch at the other end, he hit that six out of the ground which everyone here enjoyed," beamed David.
"I got upstaged at the back end there, but it was a great effort. Sheppy put the hammer down, and it was the perfect finish."
David wasn't completely eclipsed, though. He'd even seen his life flash before him in Nortje's previous over, when he hoisted a head-high beamer off his nose into the second tier of the stands.
"I thought I was about to die when that ball came into my face," he could afford to laugh later.
"There’s not many things you’d like to get less than a Nortje beamer to the head - I’m just glad it came off my bat."
In response, Ricky Ponting-coached Delhi, with three Australians in their ranks, just couldn't get going and now sit bottom of the table.
David Warner was dismissed - by that man Shepherd - for 10 the ball after hitting the West Indian for six.
Jhye Richardson, who'd earlier had to take a break from feeling groggy in the stifling heat as he went for 0-40 off his four overs, was then out for two, one of Gerald Coetzee's four victims as Delhi fell short by 29 runs on 8-205.
The other Aussie on view was Jake Fraser-McGurk who, while still waiting for his IPL bow proper, took two accomplished catches for Delhi as a substitute fielder.
In Lucknow, Stoinis cracked his first half-century of the season, top scoring with 58 off 43 balls in the Super Giants' 5-163, which also featured another fine cameo from Nicholas Pooran, who whacked three sixes in his 22-ball 32.
Gujarat's Aussie left-armer Spencer Johnson did well again with his 0-32 off four overs, giving up only eight in the death over even though Pooran hit the second ball for six.
The Titans never threatened in the chase, with Yash Thakur taking 5-30 as Langer's impressive-looking outfit moved third in the table.
