Vics earn double bonus point win over CA XI

Victoria have secured a double-bonus point win with a crushing six-wicket Matador BBQs One-Day Cup defeat of the Cricket Australia XI on Tuesday.

Set 154 to win after leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed claimed 4-43, opening batsmen Cameron White and Marcus Harris got Victoria off to a flyer before Evan Gulbis (23no) and Rob Quiney (1no) completed the job with 170 balls and four wickets to spare.

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The six-point win, earned by reaching the target inside 25 overs, catapults the Bushrangers into second spot on the points table, leapfrogging Western Australia and Tasmania to sit six points behind first-placed Queensland.

Allrounder Arjun Nair impressed in front of national selector Mark Waugh, scoring 67 and taking 3-53 with his mystery right-arm spin and earning the rare honour of being named man of the match in a losing side, while paceman Brendan Doggett bowled with sharp pace to claim 2-34.

The inexperienced CA XI bowling attack were at the mercy of Victoria’s openers as White (29 from 21 balls) and Harris (36 from 29) raced to 50 inside six overs.

With a 10-wicket loss looking more and more likely with each furious boundary, the CA XI removed both top-order batsmen inside four balls to briefly wrestle back the momentum.

There was little respite as captain Peter Handscomb (22) and first-drop Glenn Maxwell (22) continued to blast away before the latter missed a swipe across the line and was judged lbw to promising speedster Doggett.

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The wickets and boundaries continued to flow as Nair and Doggett chipped away at the Bushrangers middle order and the chase for the double-bonus point intensified.

A terrific catch by wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Harper delivered Ryan Lees (1-18) a wicket and removed Dan Christian (1), but that dismissal brought Gulbis to the crease and with it a flurry of fours and the victory.

Earlier, Fawad mastered the blustery conditions at North Sydney Oval to rattle through the youngsters' batting line-up after Handscomb won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Ahmed employed his full repertoire against the tournament newbies, mixing well-flighted leg-breaks with the odd googly and a quicker slider.

After copping some punishment early, the 34-year-old settled into his work, starting with the scalp of the in-form Ryan Gibson courtesy of a perfectly-pitched wrong ‘un that found a way through the batsman’s defence and into the woodwork.

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Harper and allrounder James Bazley were both well caught by ‘keeper-captain Handscomb – the batsmen daring to cut the spinner who was getting the ball the skid through off a short length.

NSW allrounder Nair made a fist of his promotion to open the innings, top-scoring with 67 against a Bushrangers attack carrying three specialist spinners.

Nair struck six boundaries and the first six of the day – off Ahmed – in his 88-ball stay, but like three of his other teammates he fell victim to the leg-spinner when he picked out Evan Gulbis at long-off.

Marcus Stoinis claimed 3-28 from nine overs, picking up the first wicket of the day with the new ball when he trapped Josh Inglis for 18 in the fourth over.

The broad-shoulder allrounder returned to snare Matthew Short (17) and Xavier Bartlett (duck) before Michael Beer concluded the innings with his only wicket – Ryan Lees for 13 – in the 38th over.

Victoria return to North Sydney Oval on Thursday to take on Tasmania, while the CA XI face South Australia at Hurstville Oval on Saturday.