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Fast bowler Henry Thornton proved to be the proverbial thorn in India A’s flesh as he put Australia in control of the second unofficial Test in Lucknow.Batting at No. 11, he scored an unbeaten 32 in a 91-run partnership for the tenth wicket with Todd Murphy, who made 76, before taking a four-wicket haul that helped Australia A take a 226-run lead in the first innings.”We were just having a fair bit of fun up there and it’s a good challenge against some really good bowlers to see kind of where your skills are at,” Thornton said after the second day’s play. “It was a pretty simple game plan. If they missed, we were just kind of trying to hit the ball for four and it came off today.”After toiling for 13.2 overs on the second morning to separate Australia A’s last pair, India A lost KL Rahul cheaply – caught behind off Will Sutherland. Thornton struck three blows after lunch, dismissing N Jagadeesan (38), Devdutt Padikkal (1) and India A captain Dhruv Jurel (1) in successive overs. Murphy, who scored his maiden first-class fifty earlier in the day, accounted for Nitish Kumar Reddy with his offspin as India A slid to 75 for 5.B Sai Sudharsan offered resistance with a steady half-century at No. 3 and added 51 with Ayush Badoni (21) for the sixth wicket. But two more wickets in five balls left India A reeling at 127 for 7.B Sai Sudharsan scored a steady half-century•Tanuj/ Ekana Cricket Stadium

Prasidh Krishna joined Sai Sudharsan and hit a four and a six before he was struck on the helmet by Thornton’s bouncer in the 39th over. He was in the middle for three more overs before walking off with a suspected concussion. He was replaced in the XI by Yash Thakur as the concussion substitute. Sai Sudharsan helped India A inch closer to 200 before Murphy trapped him lbw. Two balls later, Gurnoor Brar was run-out to end India A’s innings.”We had a simple plan, put energy on the ball, bash the top of the stumps,” Thornton said. “I felt like I was in the game bowling that length. So it would be interesting to see what happens in the second innings. Hopefully it starts to spin and it brings Murph (Murphy) and Rock (Corey Rocchiccioli) into the game.With over two days left in the game, Australia A opted to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on. But they lost three batters before stumps, with Mohammed Siraj, Brar and Manav Suthar picking up a wicket each. Sam Konstas fell for his first single-digit score in the series, following his century in the opening game and 49 in the first innings. His opening partner Campbell Kellaway did not last long either. Suthar, who picked up a five-for in the first innings, struck with his fifth ball to dismiss Oliver Peake. Captain Nathan McSweeney offered resistance to end the day with Australia A ahead by 242 runs.

Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the third T20I and the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies after sustaining a left hamstring strain during the second T20I in Lauderhill. Khushdil Shah replaced him in the playing XI for the third T20I.The injury took place in the 19th over of West Indies’ innings when Fakhar was chasing a ball in the outfield. A subsequent medical assessment by the team’s support staff confirmed a mild strain to his left hamstring.The PCB confirmed that immediate treatment and initial management were provided, and Fakhar will now fly back to Pakistan on August 4, the day after the final, deciding T20I. His rehabilitation will continue under the supervision of the PCB medical team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The PCB are yet to confirm if a replacement player will join the ODI squad.Fakhar got starts in each of the first two games, but found himself unable to kick on in either, getting scored of 28 and 20.The injury to Fakhar, 35, bears uncanny resemblance to a knock he picked up at the start of the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Off the second ball of the opening game, he hared off in pursuit of a cover drive before pulling up in discomfort; he was ruled out of the tournament the following day. At the time, he was himself a part of the squad to replace Saim Ayub, who, too, was injured chasing after a ball to the boundary six weeks earlier in South Africa, and spent three months on the sidelines.The T20I series in Florida is tied at one apiece. The three ODIs will take place in Trinidad.