Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney bolstered his Ashes chances with a second consecutive fifty in the second unofficial Test against India A in Lucknow.
Nathan McSweeney shines for Australia A
After a fighting 74 in the first innings following an early wicket, McSweeney led from the front once again in the second innings for Australia A, scoring an unbeaten 85 when none of the other batters except Josh Philippe crossed 12.
After folding India A for 194 on day two, Australia A were pegged back early, losing three wickets before stumps. They started day three at 16-3, which soon became 17-4 as Cooper Connolly was bowled on the second ball of the day by Mohammed Siraj. McSweeney was joined by Philippe at this point, who counter-attacked for a 48-ball 50 before Manav Suthar dismissed him. At 107-5, Australia A were staring at a sub-150 score, but McSweeney took control of the situation, stitching small but vital partnerships with the lower order to take them to 185.
Henry Thornton was the last man dismissed, caught and bowled by concussion substitute Yash Thakur, leaving the Australia A skipper stranded on 85 off 149 balls. This was his 16th first-class half-century, and a crucial one both in the context of the game and the upcoming Ashes.
2nd unofficial Test, India A vs Australia A
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Who's leading Australia's Ashes opening race?
Sam Konstas, the incumbent opener coming off a torrid time in the Caribbean, started the India A series with a bang, scoring a hundred in the first session of the series. He also scored a half-century in the first innings of the ongoing second 'Test', but was out cheaply for 3 in the second innings.
Konstas is perhaps still leading the race to partner Usman Khawaja at the top for the Ashes, but McSweeney has done himself a favour with his two responsible knocks in the second game against India A.
He made his Test debut in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy but failed to create an impact, scoring just 72 runs in three games before being dropped for Konstas. However, with Konstas' inconsistent Test returns and the revolving door of Australia's top-order, McSweeney is in with a genuine chance at making the Ashes squad, and potentially even featuring in the XI at some point in the series, which begins on November 21.
For now, he would be looking to lead Australia A to victory in the second unofficial Test against India A, after his 85 not out in the second innings helped set a target of 412 for the hosts.
Nathan McSweeney's first-class record:
| Matches | Innings | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
| 45 | 86 | 2777 | 127* | 36.53 | 41.25 | 6 | 16 |
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