Australia A pull off great escape

A final-ball six from allrounder Jack Wildermuth has advanced Australia A into the quad-series one-day final in a dramatic five-wicket win over India B in Bengaluru.

Needing 19 from the final over, Wildermuth hit fours off the third and fifth balls from paceman Prasidh Krishna to leave five runs to win with one ball remaining.

A tie would have seen the Australians progress to Wednesday's final but Wildermuth was having none of that and flat-batted a six over mid-wicket to record a thrilling victory.

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Having been set a rain-revised total of 247 from 40 overs, Australia A were reduced to 5-155 before an unbroken stand of 93 from century-maker Usman Khawaja (101no) and Wildermmuth (62no from 42 balls) delivered the win.

Manish Pandey's brilliant 117no was in vain as allrounder Michael Neser (3-47) was the pick of the Australia A bowlers.

The win means these two teams will lock horns in two days' time at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the series decider.

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After skipper Travis Head won the toss and elected to bowl, recalled pacemen Billy Stanlake (0-46) and Jhye Ricahrdson (1-45) moved the new ball through the air early but the India B opening pair of Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan were up to the task.

Neser got the breakthrough in the 13th over when he bowled Agarwal for 36 and eight balls later the allrounder held on to a return catch to dismiss Shubman Gill for four.

The visitors picked up regular wickets, with Wildermuth (1-25) and leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson (1-46) chipping in.

However, the constant throughout the innings was Pandey, who struck seven fours and cleared the rope three times to propel his side to a competitive total.

Neser and Richardson returned in the final overs and picked up a wicket each to restrict the hosts to 6-276 from 50 overs.

Like their Indian counterparts, Australia's opening batsmen enjoyed the new ball, racing to 0-77 from 13 overs.

Birthday boy Alex Carey was gifted a batting-order promotion but was out to off-spinner Jalaj Saxena for 23 from 43 balls.

Khawaja had no trouble finding the rope but locating a batting partner that could stay with him was proving more difficult.

Head, fresh off a century against South Africa A, was out caught behind to Saxena for five, before Peter Handscomb was bowled by left-armer Kulwant Khejroliya from around the wicket for two.

Marnus Labuschagne was trapped lbw by leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and three balls later the players were forced from the field due to a heavy downpour.

The delay saw the target reduced and Australians facing a scenario of needing 115 runs from 15.4 overs.

But with Khawaja at the crease the tourists were in a with a shot, and after Ashton Agar was castled by off-spinner Deepak Hooda for 15, the Queensland captain finally found an ally in Wildermuth.

Needing 64 from the final five overs, Australia A's batsmen were confronted with an onslaught of spin as a small but vocal local crowd watched on from the hill.

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With the situation looking dire, Wildermuth edged a boundary then cleared the mid-wicket fence twice in two balls to give the Australians an outside chance of victory.

Khawaja reached his hundred in the penultimate over but the equation was still a daunting one: 19 needed from the final six balls.

However, Wildermuth kept his cool, hit the rope twice and then crunched a bullet over the leg-side rope to pull off a great escape.

Australia A Tour of India

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth

Schedule

One-day fixtures

17 August v India A: Match abandoned

19 August v South Africa A: Match abandoned

21 August v India B: Match abandoned

23 August v India A - lost by five wickets.

25 August v South Africa A - won by 32 runs.

27 August v India B - won by five wickets (DLS method)

29 August - Quad-Series Final

Australia A four-day squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain

Four-day fixtures in Vizag

2-5 September v India A

8-11 September v India A