Australia make it two out of two

Australia made it two wins out of two games, beating a spirited Ireland team by 63 runs at the CCC ground in Colombo. Defending a total of 240 all out in 49.4 overs, Australia restricted Ireland to 177 for 9 at the close.

Ireland won the toss and put Australia into bat on a track with plenty of grass cover, good for batting. There was always going to be something in it for the bowlers too.

The Australians made a scratchy start. John Gardiner found some early encouragement swinging and seaming the ball away from the right handers. He was unlucky not to find the edge with a couple of beauties, the batsmen simply not good enough to get bat on ball.

New South Wales and Australia Under 19 captain Michael Clarke was first out, bowled by slow left armer McGonigle for 23. Liam Buchanan kept the scoreboard ticking along, cruising to his 50 off 57 balls.

In the heat and humidity Ireland stuck to the task well. Two wickets in two balls by Connor Armstrong lifted the side. His third delivery cut in off a good length. Poor shot selection let Buchanan down, attempting a late cut he was bowled for 57. Glen Battichiotto fell first ball, also bowled, through the gate this time. Tim Welsford survived the hat-trick ball but was soon back in the pavilion, caught and bowled by Spellman. The scorecard read 125 for 5.

A mix up by the Aussie 7th wicket pair had Nathan Hauritz caught in no mans land and despite a wild throw by the fielder, he was run out by yards at the non strikers end. A brilliant one handed catch at midwicket by Dwayne McGerrigle accounted for Andrew Macdonald.

Australia's final score owed much to the 16 year old Shaun Marsh. He looked in fine form following his 61 not out against Namibia with 59 here, including two towering sixes. In their final over Australia were bowled out for 240.

Australia fielded, showing much more of the ruthless efficiency we associate with Australian teams. They put the brakes on Ireland's innings right from the start, the lively Matthew Baker taking two quick wickets. White was bowled leaving a ball which pitched just outside off stump, hitting middle and off. Niall O'Brien was leg before without scoring.

There was still plenty on offer for the bowlers. The seamers extracted good movement and carry, employing three slips and a gully throughout. The wicket also started turning, John Mooney falling victim leaving alone a ball from Aaron O'Brien which pitched a foot outside off stump. The Irish batsmen were forced onto the back foot. Jordan Mcgonicle came in and hit the ball hard towards the end, one huge six onto the roof of the press box. The Australian total was never really in doubt and with fifteen overs to go the run rate required had exceeded ten an over. At the end of their allocated 50 overs Ireland were 177 for 9, losing by 63 runs. Keith Spellman top scored with 34.

It was Ireland's gutsy performance which was the highlight of the day. Speaking to CricInfo after the match Irish coach and former Indian batsman MV Narasimha "Bobby" Rao said "We bowled very well this morning. The lads got their line and length and getting them all out was a great effort. Our openers let us down in the batting. I wanted them to play at least 10 overs without losing wickets so that we could build a score, get to a hundred and chase from there. Ultimately I'm very happy with this performance against a strong Australian side."

According to Australian coach Rod Marsh, "We didn't bat as well as we should have. The wicket was obviously damp early on. It was a respectable score. I felt it should have been something more around 270 or 280. A few of the batsmen were impatient. They were too eager to get that score rather than getting in. I'm happy to have won the game. Now we can focus on Sri Lanka."

He went on to praise Ireland for the way they contributed to the match." They bowled really well, they've obviously worked very hard. They didn't do anything wrong."