Melbourne: Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been added to the Australia A squad ahead of the second and final four-day match against India A, starting on Sunday in Brisbane.
“Nathan has been added to the squad to give him the opportunity to play some first class cricket in preparation for Australia’s upcoming tour against Pakistan in UAE in October,” Cricket Australia (CA) Selector on Duty Darren Lehmann said on Thursday.
Lyon is currently in Brisbane, training at the National Cricket Centre. The match will be played at the Allan Border Field.
The first of the two four-day matches between India A and Australia A ended in a draw after the visitors finished at 285/5 in their second innings on the last day of the game at the Allan Border Field.
Australia A resumed play at 522/9 and were dismissed for 534 in their first innings, in reply to India A’s first innings total of 475/9 declared.
Naman Ojha, who scored a brilliant 219 not out in the first innings, scored another unbeaten century along with Ambati Rayudu, who hit his 15th first class hundred, to see off any threat from the Australian bowlers.
The hosts put on another 12 runs in the first 2.1 overs of the morning before Cameron Boyce was caught behind for 27, following Tuesday’s record-breaking 371-run stand between Mitchell Marsh (211) and Sam Whiteman (174). Boyce’s wicket gave pacer Jasprit Bumrah his third five-wicket haul of his first class career (5/132 from 40.1 overs).
The Aussies needed to get early wickets if a result on the fourth and last day was expected and Whiteman provided the first spark, taking a spectacular catch to dismiss Robin Uthappa (15) off the bowling of Ben Cutting (1/50).
Another great piece of keeping down leg-side from Whiteman sent Jiwanjot Singh on his way for 19 as Moises Henriques (1/11) continued his tidy bowling performance.
