Australia A has been beaten by three wickets by its New Zealand counterparts after the hosts chased down 365 in a dominant fourth-innings display.
With the Dukes ball swinging in Lincoln, New Zealand A resumed at 0-31 and pressed on to victory as Australia’s bowlers failed to take enough opportunities on the final day.
Queenslander Xavier Bartlett was the pick of the quicks with 3-78, while Mitchell Swepson took 3-121 after only claiming one scalp in the first innings.
But it was not enough to derail New Zealand A, with Dean Foxcroft’s 97 leading the way.
“Coming over here we wanted to win two games of cricket, and 365, I would back my bowlers to do the job,” Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney said.
“They bowled really well and created opportunities, but unfortunately a lot of them went in the gap today and New Zealand played really well and were too good for us.”
However, the match will be remembered for Matt Renshaw’s batting.
One of the few genuine Ashes contenders in the team given the clash with the IPL and county cricket, Renshaw made scores of 112 and 78.
It comes after he made scores of zero and two in the first Test in India, before being dropped for the second Test.
He was brought back in as a concussion substitute for David Warner midway through that match, before being left out again for the third and fourth Tests.
The Queenslander is now likely in a battle with Warner to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of Australia’s order for the World Test Championship final and Ashes in June and July.
“He was unbelievable,” McSweeney said of Renshaw.
“(He) scored at a very good clip as well, very classy, both innings. He looked a class above in his two innings he played.”
The two teams meet for a second four-day match in Lincoln from Saturday.
-AAP
