Nathan McSweeney looks all but set to become Test cap 467 after Marcus Harris and Cam Bancroft ended their Test auditions against India A in the worst possible fashion. However, teenage sensation Sam Konstas gave the South Australian a late run, guiding Australia A to victory over India A with an unbeaten 73 on the final day at the MCG. Harris played a lone hand in the first innings of the second Australia A clash at the home fo cricket, hitting 74 from 138 deliveries.
But needing one more score to convince national selectors he deserved another shot at Test redemption, the Victorian was out first ball for no score, wafting poorly at a full ball outside his off stump. Bancroft’s baffling nightmare then continued, trapped lbw next ball by a searing yorker to also make the long trek back to the sheds without a run to his name. It was the perfect chance for the pair to make their last impressions in a middling run chase of 169.
However, it opened the door for McSweeney and 19-year-old Konstas. McSweeney improved on his first-innings 14 in his second attempt as an out-and-out opener, but not by much, as he was dismissed for a gruelling 25 from 69 balls with a lone boundary. But the young New South Welshman grabbed his chance batting at four with both hands.
He had looked out of his depth against India A, but with the match on the line, Konstas gave another tantalising glimpse of the prodigious talent that already has him on the verge of the Test team. His innings started in scr.