Four wickets against his name, three with balls over 142 kmph on the speed gun. Mahli Beardman’s raging balls of fire proved too hot for India-A as it succumbed to a 125-run loss to Australia-A in the first one-dayer at the CAP Ground here on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old’s timely strikes helped bowl the home side out for 149 after Nathan McSweeney scored a fighting hundred (123, 135b, 13×4) to post a target of 275. Rajat Patidar was the only Indian batter (53, 51b, 5×4, 1×6) to put up some resistance. With two more edges finding the fielders, the visitor found themselves in trouble at 87 for five. But McSweeney and captain Will Sutherland (77, 68b, 2×4, 4×6) arrested the slide with a sixth-wicket partnership of 141.
Sutherland shifted gears as the lights came on for the final hour of the innings. He used his long levers to loft spinners into the leg-side fence. Just as Australia-A’s fightback looked set to help it reach 300, Suryansh Shedge (four for 40) picked three in four overs to close out the innings.