Published: Aug 14, 2015, 10:17 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 14, 2015, 10:17 AM (IST)
The Australia A openers Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns built the base for a commanding total against India A in the final of the A-team triangular series in Chennai, before Burns chipped a catch back to offspinner Gurkeerat Singh on 41, in the 14th over. Khawaja has been the bigger aggressor, cracking six fours, three of them in two overs, to establish a strike-rate of more than 100. Burns had been working the bowlers around, but punished off spinner Gurkeerat Singh for two consecutive boundaries after stepping down the track, to signal his comfort and belligerence against the slower bowlers. Their stand of 82 is the worst of the duo in the three games they have opened together. LIVE UPDATES: India A vs Australia A, final, A-team tri-series, Chennai
Their stay, though, was not without any drama. In seamer Sandeep Sharma’s second over, Khawaja survived a caught behind chance that was spilled by a diving Sanju Samson. Khawaja, in the same over, under-edged a ball between the keeper and first slip, to the boundary. He had survived a run-out chance in the previous over, when Burns had pushed a ball to the cover and took off for a single. The throw by Manish Pandey, who had dived to collect the ball, was not totally accurate, an it allowed a struggling Khawaja to scamper back in.
This final is the third game of the tri-series between two teams. Australia A had thrashed the hosts by 119 runs in the first one, helped by Burns’ 154 and Khawaja’s 100, and had defeated the hosts in a tighter game, by three wickets.
