India ‘A’ goes down to host New Zealand ‘A’

After being sent into bat at the Hagley Oval, the home team relied on opener George Worker’s 135 and Cole McConchie’s 56 to post 295 for seven. In reply, the visiting team was restricted to 266 for nine. Opting to bowl after winning the toss, India ‘A’ tasted early success when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Rachin Ravindra for nought.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel accounted for Glenn Phillips as New Zealand ‘A’ found the going tough in the middle. Ishan Porel picked up a couple of wickets by the time the innings entered the middle phase, leaving the host struggling at 96 for four in the 22nd over. Krunal Pandya made things worse by removing Mark Chapman.

At 109 for five in the 25th over, New Zealand ‘A’ badly needed someone to steady the ship, with Worker, Jimmy Neesham (33) and McConchie coming to their rescue. While trying to reverse sweep left-arm orthodox bowler Krunal, Neesham got hit on his helmet’s grill, forcing him to undergo a head assessment before returning to the crease.

During his 144-ball knock, Worker smashed six sixes and 12 fours. McConchie then struck some quick runs, hitting eight boundaries during his 54-ball innings. Chasing a challenging total, the tourist lost in-form opener Prithvi Shaw (2) in the very first over. Leading the team in the absence of Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal made 37 off 42 balls while Ishan Kishan scored 44 off 55 deliveries. All-rounder Vijay Shankar contributed 41 off 53 balls and Krunal, coming in to bat at number seven, top-scored with a 48-ball 51.

Brief scores: New Zealand ‘A’ 295 for 7 in 50 overs (G Worker 135, C McConchie 56, I Porel 3/50) vs India ‘A’ 266 for nine in 50 overs (K Pandya 51, I Kishan 44, J Neesham 2/24).