Hanging by a thread

A third consecutive loss yesterday consigned Australia to a nervous wait ahead of tomorrow’s final clash between India and New Zealand, despite the best efforts of Victorians Matt Fotia and Matt Short.

A New Zealand victory will assure the Kiwis, who currently trail Australia on net run rate, of a spot in the decider alongside India.

During yesterday’s clash between Australia and India, the hosts limped to 6-191 from their 50 overs with Short second top-scoring with 34 from 50 balls including two boundaries.

 The target never appeared enough, with India cruising to the total with seven wickets in hand and 26 balls to spare.

Fotia continued his blistering form with the ball snaring 2-34 from 10 overs, while Short was the only other wicket taker as he finished with 1-10 from three.

 “We understand that we’re not quite where we want to be, but it doesn’t just happen overnight,” Australian Under-19 coach Stuart Law said.

“We’ve got to keep working really hard.

“We’re a lot better than the performances that we’re actually producing, which is disappointing – not just for me, but for the players who understand we’ve been underachieving in these games.

“In these games, you’ve got to be able to score runs at a fair pace and India have got some good batters; a few boys have played in the IPL already and have that experience.

“We’ve got some fantastic players too and as soon as they start understanding and believing it, we should start scoring a lot more runs.”

The final of the Under-19 International Series will be held at Marrara Oval in Darwin on Friday.

To see a full scorecard from Australia versus India, click here.