Australian Academy side to compete in Indian tournament

Cricket Australia today announced a squad of Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA) players to travel to India next Tuesday, to take part in the MRF Trophy tournament starting on August 2.

The 12-player CBCA squad will compete in the 12-team round-robin competition against some of India's leading senior sides.

It is the first time that the Academy has participated in the MRF Trophy tournament and will provide players with an opportunity to assimilate to varying playing conditions. Teams have been divided into four groups of three teams each. Each group will play two two-day league matches against each other, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The CBCA side will play the strong Railway Sports team in their opening round match and then play the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation XI, who have produced Indian Test players Mohammad Kaif and Virender Sehwag through their team.

The two-day quarter-finals will be played on August 7-8, while the semi-finals (August 10-12) and final (August 14-16) will be three-day matches.

CBCA head coach Bennett King said the opportunity to participate in the tournament was an important part of developing Australia's young cricketers and exposing them to different playing conditions.

"We have a duty to prepare our developing cricketers, for all types of conditions, should they one day tour the sub-continent in a national side," King said. "Providing the opportunity for players to familiarise and appreciate the conditions first-hand is an invaluable experience for them."

The CBCA squad is:

The team members are: Adam Crosthwaite (Victoria), Chris Duval (South Australia), Callum Ferguson (South Australia), Matthew Innes (Victoria), Shane Jones (Victoria), Trent Kelly (South Australia), Rhett Lockyear (New South Wales), Steven Magoffin (Queensland), Scott Meuleman (Western Australia), Aaron Nye (Queensland), Luke Ronchi (Western Australia), Peter Worthington (Western Australia). Support staff, Bennett King (head coach), David Moore (senior coach), Max Pfitzner (physiotherapist), Shaun McMahon (performance co-ordinator).

When the players return from the tour they will return to their states and prepare for the Institute Challenge, to be held from August 23-30 in far north Queensland.