India A far too good

A century to Gautam Ghambir and an impressive late spell from Piyush Chawla have guided India A to a 130 run win against Pakistan A. It is India’s second victory in the Top End Series, but their first against a another “A” team.

Pakistani captain Misbah-Ul-Haq won the toss and elected to bowl, but it was his only joy of the morning session as he witnessed all his bowlers struggle. Ghambir dominated the India A batting effort from the start, as he and Uthappa racked up an opening stand of 147 before Uthappa was dismissed by Mansood Amjad. The loss of a three wickets in the middle overs didn’t hurt Ghambir, as the India A opener faced 136 deliveries on his way to 142 not out. 19 year old Rohit Sharma contribued 47* in the second century stand of the innings, and he and Ghambir pushed the score up to 3/313 at the end of 50 overs.

Pakistan A were always going to struggle with the daunting chase, but a top order collapse made the result a foregone conclusion before the fielding restrictions ended. Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go for Pakistan, before Shib Paul dismissed Shahid Yousuf and the captain Misbah-Ul-Haq in a dominant opening spell. RP Singh grabbed his second wicket when he removed Bazid Khan, and Pakistan A were 4/64 in the 14th over. Hasan Raza provided some support for Rafatullah in the best partnership of the innings, but the rising run rate and the introduction of Piyush Chawla to the attack spelled the end of any hope in the chase.

Chawla took three wickets as he bowled his 10 overs without rest, and the part-timers of Venugopal Rao grabbed the last two, including the opener Rafatullah Mohmand for 84. Pakistan A were dismissed for 183 with more than 10 overs to spare, still 130 short of the target, and never managed to put India A in any sort of trouble with bat or ball.

The Top End Series continues tomorrow as a Northern Territory XI meets New Zealand A, while India A’s next match is against Australia A on Saturday.

India A 3/313 (50)
Gautam Ghambir 142* (136), AR Uthappa 72 (94)
Mohammad Irshad 1/65 (10), Mansoor Amjad 1/71 (10)

India A win by 130 runs

Pakistan A 183 (39.3)
Rafatullah Mohmand 84 (115), Hasan Raza 36 (39)
Piyush Chawla 3/34 (10), SS Paul 2/14 (6)

Cricket Web Man of the Match – Gautam Ghambir – 142*