The hardy souls who did click through the turnstiles witnessed a dominant performance by Pat Cummins’ men, albeit against a team who checked out after the T20 World Cup triumph and were counting down the hours to their 6am flight home.

The hosts set a new MCG record total of 5-355 despite losing two overs due to rain, eclipsing the previous best of 9-342 set against England in the 2015 World Cup, then skittled the visitors for 142 in the 32nd over.

Head (152 off 130 balls), battling back spasms that left him touch and go to play, and Warner (106 off 102) kept the game’s historians busy with a 269-run stand characterised by daring strokeplay, exquisite timing and power.

The pair have opened together in only seven games but can already boast two of the top 10 opening stands in the format’s 4480-game history. Their effort here sits ninth but fell 15 runs short of the 284 they hit against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval in January 2017.

They are only three games into their latest reincarnation as openers, but the signs could not be more positive for Australia’s selectors as they aim to fill the void left by former captain Aaron Finch heading into next year’s World Cup in India.

Though Warner and Head will encounter vastly different conditions for that tournament, they are displaying a vitality that often accompanies change.

Head, the player o]f last summer’s Ashes, is entering his prime, and playing accordingly. This format suits the left-hander, whose penchant for extravagant shots can result in balls flying above the keeper’s head at speed.

He had a double-century on the horizon but was bowled in the 39th over attempting to slog Olly Stone into the vacant MCG stands, though had been dropped on four and overturned an lbw call on nine.

Head almost missed the game after suffering back spasms reaching for something out of his kit, then did not take to the field after the break due to illness.

“I was touch and go,” Head said. “It wasn’t ideal ... it wasn’t the best feeling in the world.

“A mixture of not eating and a bit of Panadeine Forte and what not, it didn’t sit well with me. It’s been a pretty grim couple of hours.”

Warner shook a sizable monkey off his back, whacking his first international ton in any format since January 2020 and ending a century drought at 67 innings. He was named player of the series, and Head the player of the match.

Though Warner is well into his twilight years, this stat would come as a surprise to many as the veteran played key roles in Australia’s two most important victories during this period - last season’s Ashes and the 2021 T20 World Cup.