Date-stamped : 08 Mar97 - 22:30 ================> day 1 Australian Youth impress in opener By Our Sports Reporter KARACHI, March 3: Australian youngsters were quick to adjust to the conditions here when they finished the opening day of their three-day tour opener against PCB Combined XI at 318 for three at the UBL Sports Complex on Monday. All the five batsmen scored substantial runs to leave an early impression of their talent and the likely problems they may cause to the home team bowlers. Openers Chris Davies and Marcus North appeared determined and watchful when they fended off the new ball intelligently before playing good shots. Later, Simon Dart and Dominic Thornely struck some blistering shots by using their feet to cause all sorts of problems for the home bowlers. Davies and North added 152 runs for the opening wicket and then Dart and Thornely shared in an unbroken 100 runs for the fourth bowler to give the home team the taste of its own medicine under hot and humid conditions. Davies was first to go when he was caught by skipper Ahmar Saeed off Atif Irfan trying to play the left-arm over cover. Davies, dropped at 31 by Adnan Kaleem off his own bowling, scored a delightful 71 from 143 balls with the aid of 13 punishing boundaries. Left-handed North followed Davies 17 runs later when he was yorked by Atif Irfan. North hit a polished 139-ball 70 with 10 boundaries with most of them coming through delicate sweeps or wristy on-drives. However, it was the aggressive run-a-minute 100 runs unbroken fourth wicket partnership between Dart and Thornely that helped the tourists reach an imposing total of 318 for three. While Dart was cautious selecting balls to play aggressive shots as evident from his 148-ball 66 laced with five hits to the fence, Thornely seemed more ruthless hitting seven boundaries and a huge six in his unbeaten 57 from 74 balls. Though Brett Van Deinson failed to reach a half century like his other four compatriots, he managed to cash in on the opportunity of warming up for the `Test` series with a 32 from 81 balls with four fours before being adjudged LBW. ============> day 2 PCB XI strike back after poor first innings show Sports Reporter KARACHI, March 4: The PCB Combined XI came back strongly after a dismal show earlier on the second day of the three-match against the touring Australian Youth at the UBL Sports Complex on Tuesday. The host team, after being bundled out for 160, captured seven Australian wickets in the final session of play with the scoreboard reading 90. The tourists, who declared their first innings at their overnight score of 318 for three, enjoy an overall lead of 248. The home team stays in the match chiefly because the visitors started their innings in the reverse order. Opener Davies North, who scored 70 the other day, was batting on 0 while Simon Dart, who hit a painstaking 66, was 2 not out while coming out to bat at No 8 and 9 respectively. Chris Davies, who hit a polished 71 on Monday, and Dominic Thornely, who remained unbeaten on 57, are still to come. The achievement from the change in the batting order was the positive batting by skipper Bradley Haddin who struck five boundaries in his 41 that consumed 55 balls. But the disappointment was the failure of Brett Van Diensenthe tourists frontline batsman who could score only five before being run- out. Combined XI skipper Ahmar Saeed, with his off-spinners, led the destruction with three for 18 from 10 overs. Left-arm pacer Atif Irfan claimed two wickets for 21 runs while his partner Abdul Rauf bagged the wicket of Haddin. Earlier, Australian pace duo of Dan Nash and Matthew Inness left the home team on their knees by sharing six wickets between them as there seemed no answer to their blistering pace and accuracy. The two bowlers bowled little outside the off- stump and the inexperienced and foolish home batsmen tried to take advantage of what they thought were lose deliveries to be caught behind the wickets. Australian skipper Bradley Haddin was kept busy throughout the first two sessions to finish with six catches behind the wickets to extend full support to his promising pacemen. After two days of play, one thing is getting clear the approach and determination of the tourists. The Australians look more prepared and planned. On the contrary, there appears no homework done on the local boys as they appeared everywhere but in the match. The Australian openers batted excellently on Monday to snatch the initial edge the home team had of bowling on a green top surface. Twenty-four hours later On the same strip, the Aussie bowlers bowled beautifully chiefly because they knew their target while the Combined XI batsmen batted pathetically knowing nothing about how to cope with the line and pace. Nash, who was a little erratic but picked up three wickets for 48 runs in 10 overs, and Inness, who claimed three wickets for 27 runs in 11 overs, received good support from left-arm medium-pacer McLaughlin, who snapped up a couple of wickets for 22 runs, and off- spinner Paul Sutherland, who bowled maximum number of overs (23) for his two for 54. The only Combined XI batsman to play with confidence and authority was opener Hafiz Majid who, however, lacked patience. He struck 10 sizzling boundaries in his 58 that came from 109 balls. Musharaf Ali showed that he can be a player who can be relied upon when he contributed 32 runs from 90 balls. =======> day 3 Australians win opener on last but one ball Sports Reporter KARACHI, March 5: The Australian Youth opened their four-week tour of Pakistan with a nail-biting 145-run victory over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Combined XI at the UBL Sports Complex on Wednesday. The tourists clinched the only warm-up game of the tour on the last but one ball when Atif Rauf`s determined and fighting 92- minute knock was ended by Dan Nash. Rauf was caught by Bradley Haddin who finished the match with 10 catches behind the wickets. The PCB Combined XI ninth wicket pair of Adnan Kalim and Atif Ir- fan frustrated the tourists for 92 minutes after the home team was down on their knees at 81 for eight in 33.3 overs while chas- ing 327 in 67 overs. Irfan, who faced 65 balls for his 30 that included five boun- daries, tried to push forward on a ball moving away but ended up only getting an edge and Haddin making no mistake behind the wickets. But it was bat-size Adnan Kalim who played the best in- nings of the match but sadly he ended up on the losing side. Com- ing out to bat at 50 for seven, Kalim played a very disciplined, matured and responsible innings of 67 from 142 balls that he faced during his 159 minutes of occupancy of the wicket. His in- nings sparkled 11 hits to the fence. Kalim, a specialist left-arm spinner, showed the top-order how to bat on a bowlers track and how to tackle a planned bowling attack when kept his head down. He didn`t show any interest in the ball moving away from him nor he tried to do anything adventurous which could make him a hero. Kalim was caught bat and pad by substitute fielder Tubb off off- spinner Paul Sutherland as Combined XI faced certain defeat until the last pair of Atif Irfan and Abdul Rauf hanged around for another 29 minutes before Irfan`s resistance ended on the second last ball of the match at the score of 182. It was once again a very smart and intelligent bowling display by the Australian Youth. They appeared planned and more organised than their counterparts. Dan Nash followed up his three for 48 in the first innings with three for 35 while Paul Sutherland caused the maximum damage to the home team in the second innings by capturing four wickets for 41 runs to finish the match with six wickets for 95 runs. It was yet another lacklustre batting display by the home bats- men. They appeared slow learners or no learners at all as they committed the same mistakes they made in their first innings. There was no commitment in their batting which has given the tourists an early edge in the `Test` series that begins at the National Stadium from Thursday. Earlier in the morning, the Australian Youth, added another 79 runs to their overnight score of 90 for seven in 90 minutes of play to declare their second innings at 169 for nine. Marcus North, who had not opened his account, scored 35 with five boundaries and a six while Simon Dart took his last evening`s score from 2 to 32 before the declaration came at the fall of Chris Davies`s wicket which gave Ahmar Saeed his fourth wicket in the innings. Source :: Dawn (http://xiber.com/dawn) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)