Cork proves too hot for Indians

CRICKET England A 283 and 204

Indian Youth XI 199 and 192

England A win by 96 runs Dominic Cork defied 80 degree heat to bowl England A to victory in Bombay yesterday. The 23-year-old Derbyshire all-rounder laboured throughout the two-hour afternoon session and found the energy to produce a match-winning burst of 3 for 6 to spark an Indian Youth collapse to 192 all out.

Cork, who also top-scored with 69 in England A's first innings, finished with 4 for 46 from 24 overs.

"To bowl 13 overs on the trot with aggression and also control was terrific," Phil Neale, the team manager, said. "I don't think the captain could get the ball off him when he started to take those wickets. He got the ball to swing just enough and that'sthe crucial factor in India."

The leg-spinner Ian Salisbury supported Cork for all but two overs of the session and took the final wicket to finish with 3 for 93 to add to his first-innings haul of 6 for 48.

The Indian youngsters, chasing 289 to win, were at one stage 136 for 3. The fourth-wicket pair, Jatinder Singh and Sridharan Sharath, confidently added 103 until Cork moved one away just enough to have Singh caught behind for 63.

Sharath and Samir Dighe, the Indian side's captain, still looked a danger, but at 158 the match swung dramatically. Three wickets fell in successive overs - Cork having Dighe caught by Nixon, Salisbury defeating Sharath's charge for Nixon to stump him for 59 and Cork removing Obed Kamal lbw for a duck.

(Fourth day: England A won toss)

ENGLAND A - First Innings 283 (D G Cork 69).

Indian Youth XI - First Innings 199 (Salisbury 6-48).

ENGLAND A - Second Innings - 204 (Rao 5-56).

Indian Youth XI - Second Innings (Overnight: 21 for 1)

J Singh c Nixon b Cork 63

A Muzumdar c Knight b Cork 8

*S Dighe c Nixon b Cork 17

V V S Laxman c Nixon b Stemp 3

S Sharath st Nixon b Salisbury 59

P Mhambrey c Knight b Salisbury 1

I Siddiqui c Chapple b Stemp 9

O Kamal lbw b Cork 0

B V Vij lbw b Salisbury 14

B Rao not out 9

Extras (lb2 nb6) 8

Total (72.5 overs) 192

Fall cont: 2-23 3-33 4-136 5-158 6-158 7-158 8-165 9-175.

Bowling: Cork 24-10-46-4; Chapple 8-4-18-1; Stemp 17-6-19-2; Salisbury 21.5-2-93-3; Weekes 2-0-14-0.

Umpires: A Jayaprakash and J Singh.