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Pucovski, Head tons lead the way for Australia A

Twin centuries from top-order guns and Sean Abbott's four wickets help keep Australia A unbeaten in nervy nine-run win

Australia A suffered an almighty scare in their final one-day match on tour, holding on to beat a gallant Gloucestershire side by nine runs in a nerve-wracking clash in Bristol.

Centuries to Travis Head (138) and Will Pucovski (137) combined for a 267-run second-wicket stand to power Australia A to an imposing 3-353 from 50 overs having won the toss and elected to bat.

Image Id: 49D3E9C5ED884A87B533C2A5F2BD678B Image Caption: Pucovski and Head put on 267 together // Martin Bennett

But the mammoth total looked modest as the hosts struck 33 fours and 10 sixes against an uncharacteristically undisciplined bowling performance from tourists.

After half-centuries by James Bracey (71 from 65 balls), Chris Dent (42 from 28) and Ian Cockbain (53 from 56) laid a solid foundation for the chase, Ben Howell (64 from 37) and Ryan Higgins (55 not out) almost pulled off the upset with blistering cameos in the closing stages.

Needing 105 from the final 60 balls, Gloucestershire looked on track at 5-319 at the end of the 46th over with Howell at the crease.

But when he was caught brilliantly in deep by D'Arcy Short from the bowling of impressive paceman Sean Abbott (4-52 from 10 overs) an over later the sting went out of the chase.

Image Id: 988A97EED47248B4A5EBF2C178340B8E Image Caption: Sean Abbott took 4-52 from his 10 overs // Kyle Andrews

"It got quite close there," Head told cricket.com.au after play.

"They played very, very well. I felt we had over par on that wicket and they batted extremely well.

"I thought wicket slowed up and we did well to get to what we got to then they gave it a shake there at the end.

"It was nice that we held our nerve and win another game of cricket.

"I felt the guys executed their skill really well at the death. All in all, it's a nice end to the tour."

The tense win means Australia A finish the one-day leg of their England tour unbeaten, having recorded dominant wins in Northampton, Derby and Bristol on Sunday. The only time Head's men failed to celebrate victory was in Worcester, where the match was abandoned without a ball bowled due to flooding and wet weather.

The campaign now switches formats to four-day cricket with a red Dukes ball, as the team heads south east to Brighton for Sunday's opening first-class match against Sussex in nearby Arundle.

While Tuesday's match was the last of the 50-over fixtures it featured a number of firsts.

For the first time on tour the visitors batted first and made the most of the freedom of setting a target.

Image Id: 5F6B79666F9F47E09546728DBC38DAB2 Image Caption: Travis Head hit four sixes in his 138 // Martin Bennett

Matt Wade's pyrotechnics continued at the top of the order, hammering six fours and six before he was bowled missing an off-break from left-arm spinner Tom Smith with perhaps his first tentative shot on tour.

Wade's wicket was the last for 36 overs as Head and Pucovski ransacked runs at every opportunity on the same pitch that was used for Sunday's encounter between the two teams.

Pucovski, coming off a career-best 51 two days earlier, was the first to his half-century in the 26th over. Head was not far behind, reaching the same milestone less than seven overs later, with both players raising the bat after the 67th ball they faced.

The pair then upped the tempo against a wayward Gloucestershire bowling unit who conceded 26 extras of which 17 were wides.

From the last ball of the 40th over, Pucovski scurried for two to bring up his maiden List A century from 112 balls with 10 fours. Prior to the series he had scored just 30 runs in four 50-over  matches. He finished the tour with 188 in two innings.

Image Id: BE309E060CEA43FA9D13FD4CD6690275 Image Caption: Travis Head salutes his century // Martin Bennett

Head needed only 34 balls for his second fifty as he reached three figures from 101 deliveries.

Well and truly inside the final 10 overs, the pair mixed orthodox strokes with the unconventional – pull shots straight down the ground, ramps over the leg side, uppercuts to the third-man rope – to see the total zoom past 300.

It took until the 49th over for the monster stand to end when Head tried to glide a slower ball fine behind square on the off-side and was bowled. Even after 138 runs in as many minutes, the skipper left the field annoyed.

Two balls later Pucovski was back in the pavilion after his lap picked out the man at short fine leg to give paceman Ryan Higgins two wickets in the over.

Image Id: B1E33E067A8E4159B92A314B4B0F661B Image Caption: Will Pucovski on the drive during his century // Martin Bennett

Mitch Marsh recorded his fourth-straight not out of the tour as Australia A finished their innings with what looked like more than enough.

But the Gloucestershire batsmen had other ideas.

Undaunted by the mountain to climb in front of them, openers Dent and Miles Hammond began the ascent in a rush, crashing boundary after boundary from pace ace Josh Hazlewood (0-66) and Michael Neser (1-76).

Dent hit eight fours inside eight overs until his journey ended when he missed a straight ball from Neser that clipped the top of off stump.

The innings was held together by two standout partnerships; a 92-run stand between Bracey and Cockbain for the third wicket and 103 from Howell and Higgins in 12 overs.

The part-time spin of Head and D'Arcy Short conceded 60 runs from six overs as the pressure remained firmly on the visiting side throughout.

The only reprieve came through Ashton Agar (2-54) and Abbott, far and away the pick of the 'A' bowlers.

Abbott returned late to remove the dangerous Howell, who had reached his fifty in just 30 balls, and Smith, leaving Hazlewood to defend 17 runs from the final over of the innings.

The veteran seamer held his nerve to complete the series clean sweep of wins but only just.

"To be honest, I was quite nervous out on the deep cover boundary for the last five or six (overs)," Pucovski said.

"Howell, he was absolutely smacking them everywhere.

"D'Arcy (Short) took an unbelievable catch running in to get rid of him and form there 'Sabba' (Abbott) finished off beautifully and 'Hoff' (Hazlewood) bowled really well in the last that settled things a bit."

Australia A tour of the UK

Get live scores and all the latest news from Australia A's tour of the UK on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Matthew Wade, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb, Mitch Marsh (vc), D'Arcy Short, Kurtis Patterson, Ashton Agar, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Sean Abbott, Andrew Tye

Australia A four-day squad: Tim Paine (c), Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Travis Head (vc), Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Mitch Marsh, Michael Neser, Jon Holland, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Chris Tremain

One-day fixtures:

June 20: Australia A beat Northamptonshire by six wickets

June 23: Australia A beat Derbyshire by seven wickets

June 25: Australia A v Worcestershire, match abandoned

June 30: Australia A beat Gloucestershire by five wickets

July 2: Australia A beat Gloucestershire by nine runs

Four-day fixtures:

July 7-10: Australia A v Sussex, Arundel

July 13-16: Australia A v England Lions, Canterbury

July 23-26: Australia v Australia A, Hampshire