Australia A ramped up the pressure on England Lions, who closed day two of the first-class match in Sydney on 116-2 in their second innings, still 141 runs behind.
Brendon Doggett and Will Sutherland took three wickets apiece for the Aussies as they skittled the Lions out for 116 in the first innings and enforced the follow on, having earlier declared on 373-9.
Matty Hurst top-scored for the tourists with 33 in the first innings before opener Ben McKinney salvaged a glimmer of hope, finishing the day unbeaten on 68 in the second innings.
Having won the toss, the Lions elected to field first, but it was the Australian top order that cashed in.
After Sam Cook dismissed Tim Ward lbw for a duck in the first over, Jayden Goodwin and Kurtis Patterson combined to steady the ship.
Goodwin was finally dismissed for 70 in the 56th over by Shoaib Bashir, and skipper Aaron Hardie soon followed, being caught behind off Sonny Baker.
However, Josh Philippe joined Patterson to put on another century partnership before Cook trapped Patterson lbw for 137, leaving Australia 286-4.
The lower order failed to add significant runs, Fergus O’Neill top-scoring with eight, but Philippe’s unbeaten 120 off 121 balls marshalled his side to 373-9 before the declaration came just before lunch.
The Lions bowlers, especially Cook (3-58) and Baker (3-60) had fought back to ensure the total was a large, but not unassailable one for their batters to chase.
However, ducks for Alex Davies and Freddie McCann rocked the Lions early on, and McKinney could not build on his aggressive 26 as the tourists slumped to 30-3.
Hurst’s 33 and Rocky Flintoff’s 29 offered a slight middle-order rally, but Hurst’s wicket triggered a batting collapse that left the Lions 257 runs short.
Sutherland and Doggett were the main beneficiaries, taking 3-7 and 3-17 respectively as the final six wickets fell for just 10 runs. It was a proud day for the Sutherland family elsewhere, with Annabel becoming the first woman to make a Test century at the MCG as Australia ground England down.
The hosts duly enforced the follow-on, with an eye on wrapping the match up as quickly as possible.
The Lions bit back with the bat though, as Davies and McKinney saw off the new ball to post a 106-run partnership.
However, the wickets of Davies and McCann in the final four overs dented any chance of a remarkable comeback. McKinney finished the day on 67, with nightwatchman Sonny Baker surviving the final over without adding to the score.
This is the only meeting between the Lions and Australia A, but the tourists played two first-class matches against Cricket Australia XI earlier this month, drawing one and losing one.
Despite taking a 47-run lead halfway through the first clash, the Lions ultimately succumbed to a seven-wicket defeat.
Baker was the stand-out bowler with five wickets, while McKinney impressed with 94 in the second innings.
Again, the Lions led in the second match, this time by 102 runs, largely thanks to Flintoff’s 108 and Pat Brown’s 5-21.
However, CAXI racked up 442-9 in the second innings and a lower-order flurry was needed to salvage a draw for the Lions with one wicket to spare.
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