SA win despite Maxwell century

South Africa Emerging Players chased down a target of 183 to win a close game against Australian Institute of Sports by five wickets at the WEP Harris Oval in Brisbane, on day one of the Emerging Players Tournament. AIS, who chose to bat, were propelled almost single-handedly by a blitz from Glenn Maxwell. Batting at No. 5, Maxwell hammered 110 off 52 balls with nine fours and eight sixes, to pull his side out of trouble - their top four had managed just 15 runs among them. None of the other batsmen who followed got past 18 either, as AIS finished with 182 for 7. South Africa were steady in reply, with each of their batsmen contributing cameos. The final flourish to push them past the line was provided by Obus Pienaar, who struck 55 off 23 to seal the game with a ball to spare.

India Emerging Players began with an 18-run win against New Zealand A, at the same venue. Choosing to bat, India put on 169 for 4, as captain Shikhar Dhawan, S Anirudha and Saurabh Tiwary contributed 30s, while Manoj Tiwary top-scored with an unbeaten 45 that included four sixes. The New Zealand chase was mainly driven by a big partnership between Dean Brownlie and Doug Bracewell. Umesh Yadav got Bracewell for 47, and though Brownlie hung on to finish with 55 not out, the lack of support from the other batsmen handed India a relatively comfortable win.