da pinup bet： India A have drawn level in the five-match America Challenge series in LosAngeles, defeating Australia A by five wickets in the second match Thursday
Rick Eyre16-Sep-1999India A have drawn level in the five-match America Challenge series in LosAngeles, defeating Australia A by five wickets in the second match Thursday.The match was a low-scoring affair with the Indians reaching their target of133 with ease.The early morning start for these matches proved ambitious yet again, raindelaying the commencement of play and reducing the match to 42 overs perside. Australia A, batting first after winning the toss, starteddisastrously when Ryan Campbell hit a return catch to Dodda Ganesh from thefirst legitimate ball of the match. Gilchrist followed soon after for 6,and in the first fifteen overs the Australians scored just 54 runs for theloss of three wickets. In slow conditions the Australian batsmen found theIndian attack hard to despatch, with Corey Richards the top score of theinnings with 22 (though extras totalled 28).Australia A were dismissed in 35 overs for 129. Left-arm spinner SridaranSriram took 4/23 from six overs, Harbhajan Singh claiming 2/14 from eight.Sriram’s performance as opening batsman was someone of a letdown after this,run out at the non-striker’s end on the second ball of the Indian inningswithout a run on the board. The Indian upper-order struggled, opener DevangGandhi dismissed for 5 in the tenth over. When the fourth wicket fell at 63in the 19th over, Australia were in front.It was Mohammad Kaif (38) and Vijay Bhardwaj (28*) who then swung the gamefor India, within the space of ten overs posting a 52-run partnership.Bhardwaj hit the only six of the match, a hoick over long-on from left-armspinner Brad Young, who was expensive (4-0-34-0).Bhardwaj finished the match with a four from the first ball of the 31stover. India A winners by five wickets with 71 balls to spare. BrendonCreevey (1/15 from six overs) was the best of the Australian bowlers who, intotal, gave up eight no-balls and 18 wides.Game three of this series will be played on Saturday.