cricket Australia XI 176 (Hearne 106, Cook 4-15) and 97 for 1 (Ward 39*, MacMillan 11*) need another 164 runs to win England Lions 223 (Davies 54, Gannon 5-27) and 213 (McKinney 94)
On a day when wickets continued to fall, with 12 falling in total, 20-year-old McKinney stood tall to score a composed 94 as the Lions were bowled out for 213 in their second innings.
The home team reached 97 for one at the end, needing another 164 runs on the third day to seal the victory. Tim Ward was unbeaten at the end on 39 off 80 balls, having added 77 for the first wicket with Jayden Goodwin.
A youthful Lions batting line-up, with nine players aged 22 or younger, was unable to fully capitalize on its advantage, apart from former under-19 captain McKinney.
The left-handed opener reached his half-century with a textbook drive towards the rope, but was left trailing when he pulled Gabe Bell and was caught on the boundary just before his century. Last man Cook made a useful 23 off 19 balls as he and Baker added 28 for the last wicket. The CAXI lands were shared, with Bell and Charlie Anderson claiming three each.
Bashir claimed the only wicket of the home team’s chase when Goodwin, son of former Zimbabwe and Sussex batsman Murray, was caught on the back foot by Bashir for 35. Raf MacMillan was not out for 11 at the end.
