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Queensland: Captain Nathan McSweeney remained unbeaten at 88 and formed a century stand with Beau Webster, guiding Australia A to an easy seven-wicket victory over India A in Mackay, Queensland on Sunday.
Australia A, needing just 86 runs on the final day, breezed through the chase, completing it within 22 overs without losing a wicket.
The day started with controversy as the umpires decided to change the ball, a move that displeased the visiting team. Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan was reportedly reprimanded for dissent after the incident, which he called a ‘stupid decision’. Cricket Australia later stated that the ball was replaced due to ‘deterioration’, and no action was taken against Kishan.
Once the game resumed, McSweeney and Webster kept accumulating runs, frequently rotating the strike to keep India A from exerting any pressure that could lead to a batting collapse.
With the initial efforts of Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini proving futile, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad brought in Manav Suthar, hoping for a breakthrough with spin.
Even with Gaikwad’s aggressive field placements, including a short leg and a short 45 on the leg side, the pitch offered no assistance to the bowlers.
Continuing to score at a consistent pace, India A allowed part-time bowler and second-innings centurion Sai Sudharsan to bowl a few overs.
The young 23-year-old gave up 34 runs in his six-over stint as McSweeney and Webster comfortably handled the short balls from the spinner, sending them to the boundary fielders to keep the scoreboard ticking and inch closer to the target.
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