Mackay [Australia], October 8 : A wicket fell every 4.5 overs as India U-19 ran rampant against Australia U-19 to script the shortest ever Youth Test of all time with a 7-wicket win and sweep the series away by 2-0 in Mackay on Wednesday.
The entire contest lasted for less than two days and a mere 886 balls or 147.4 overs across the four innings. In terms of balls bowled, the fixture is the shortest Youth Test to yield a result. The previous record was held by the West Indies U-19, who conquered Pakistan U-19 in 992 balls (165.2 overs) and notched a five-wicket win at Faisalabad in 1995. Notably, during that match, Pakistan was captained by Shahid Afridi.
The hosts won the toss and opted to bat on the opening day, but quickly realised the folly of their decision. Within the first 10 overs, half of the side had returned to the dressing room, leaving Australia U-19 in a dire spot. Wicketkeeper Alex Lee Young fuelled the hosts' innings with a sturdy 66.
Despite Young's valiance, Australia U-19 could muster up just 135 in 43.3 overs. Henil and Khilan Patel emerged as the standout performers, scything three wickets each for India. In response, Captain Ayush Mhatre and young revelation Vaibhav Suyravanshi floundered.
Throughout the innings, not a single Indian batter crossed the 30-run mark, courtesy of Kasey Barton's 4/57, but five managed to go past 20. With 23 extras from Australia's bowling unit, the tourists managed to go past Australia U-19's total and take a handy 36-run lead.
The young Australian side hoped to improve their previous outing, but fell flat in their attempts. Without troubling the scorers, Australia lost two wickets and collapsed to 29/5. Young came to the hosts' rescue once again, but conjured just a 38-run knock as Australia U-19 bundled out on 116. Henil returned with a three-wicket haul once again, while Naman Pushpak scalped figures of 3-19.
Suryavanshi, who came out to bat at number three, returned to his usual opening slot but fell for a golden duck. Mhatre showed promise, walloping three boundaries in his first five balls, but perished on 13. Vihaan Malhotra (21 off 21), Vedant Trivedi (33 off 35), and Rahul Kumar (13 off 14) gunned down the target in just 12.2 overs to bring India home.