SIXERS’ paceman Jackson Bird did much of the damage for Australia A as the India A batsmen wilted in Brisbane on Thursday.
At stumps on day one, Bird already had three wickets to his name and his first came as India A found themselves 4/11 after the Sixer dismissed Manish Pandey for a first ball duck.
Earlier, the first wicket of the day at Allan Border Field came just four overs prior when Bird’s Big Bash League teammate Nic Maddinson caught out Faiz Fazal off the bowling of Kane Richardson.
Later, and with the first ball of the second session after lunch, Bird had his second wicket when he trapped India A captain Naman Ojha for lbw, leaving the tourists floundering at 6/46.
Hardik Pandya helped salvage the game for the Indians as he and Jayant Yadav put on a 78-run partnership to get their match back on track.
But the wickets kept coming for the Australians and, with the second-last ball of the day before bad light and rain set in, Bird struck again.
For his third wicket of the innings, Bird dismissed Shardul Thakur after he was caught by Australian ‘keeper Sam Whitman.
Play for the day was eventually halted because of bad light, but Bird had already racked up figures of 3/53 after 18 overs, including five maidens.
India A are 9/169 after the first day and Australia A need just the lone wicket before Sydney Sixers' Maddinson gets his chance with the bat.
In the recent Quadrangular A-Team One Day Series in north Queensland, Maddinson hit 118 in his first match against India A and followed that up with a 31 against the same side five days later.