McSweeney shines again as Australia A in pole position to beat India A

Australia ‘A’ skipper Nathan McSweeney backed up the 39 he scored in the first innings with yet another impressive showing in the second innings to put Australia in pole position in the first unofficial Test against India ‘A’ in Mackay. McSweeney finished the day unbeaten on 47* as Australia ‘A’ ended day three on 139/3, needing 86 more runs to win the first Test.

Fellow opening contender for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Marcus Harris (36), was not able to make good use of a start, while the duo of Sam Konstas (16) and Cameron Bancroft (16) both endured twin failures in the contest.

India ‘A’ began day three in prime position on 208/2 but lost the remaining eight wickets for the addition of just 104 runs. Sai Sudharsan (103) completed his ton but Devdutt Padikkal, who began the day on 80*, added only eight more runs to his tally. None of the other India ‘A’ batters crossed the 35-run mark as the visitors folded cheaply. 

Victoria’s Fergus O'Neill shone with a four-wicket haul, as did the state’s off-spinner Todd Murphy (3/77), who dismissed both the big fishes Padikkal and Sudharsan.

Cricket Australia (CA) have already confirmed that Murphy will not play the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He will spend time with Daniel Vettori in Australia’s ODI squad, with Western Australia’s Corey Rocchiccioli taking his spot in the starting XI. Right now, it’s Rocchiccioli who is with the Aussie squad, spending valuable time with assistant coach Vettori. 

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