The visiting Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy team from Australia continued their winning run in Chennai when they beat the Combined XI by six wickets on the final day of the three-day match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.

Sending a team of promising young players for a couple of weeks to Chennai to allow the youngsters to learn more about the playing conditions in the sub-continent has become a regular feature of the Australian cricket calendar. One player who made most of the experience this time around was Marcus North, who scored a masterly hundred that paved the way for a convincing win for the visitors.

On Monday, the visiting captain Andrew Symonds won the toss and asked the Combined XI to bat first. The visitors were off to a great start, Ashley Noffke cleaning up the opening batsman Padmanabhan Satish for a duck. Then it was the turn of the right-arm wrist-spinner Cameron White, whose play closely resembles that of the leg spin wizard Shane Warne, to take over.

White's mannerisms, the walk up to the crease, and the action all rekindle memories of the the great man himself. This young Victorian, who led Australia to success in the Under-19 World Cup in 2002, was easily the best bowler with the figures of 19-6-58-4. The Combined XI were bowled out for 207 in the first innings, left-arm wrist-spinner Beau Casson picking up 2/11 and left-arm orthodox spinner Xavier Doherty finishing with 3/23.

The visitors resumed on the second morning at 130/4 with the left-hand batsman from Western Australia, North, on 56 not out. The young batsman had to deal with the searing conditions in Chennai at this time of the year – too hot and humid for any comfort - and also the turning ball on a pitch that was playing up. It was a brave effort by North as he compiled 152 glorious runs, with the help of 21 boundaries and two sixes, from just 202 balls.

There were useful contributions from White (41 off 38 balls) and Casson (45 off 59 balls) as the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy were bowled out in their first innings for 330 runs. Off-break bowler D Dhandapani was the most successful member of the attack with 4/65.

The Combined XI in their second innings found themselves at a score of 100/6 with Ashley Noffke and Robert Cassell picking up two wickets apiece. A crucial 101-run seventh wicket partnership between Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas (105) and Sreekumar Nair (38) helped the Combined XI out of the woods. Both the left-handers made batting look very easy, with the young Vasudevadas going on to reach his century. Thiru Kumaran then blasted a quick-fire 27, but the Combined XI second innings was wrapped up in a hurry as Craig Simmons picked up the last three wickets.

Set a modest 163 for a win, the visitors got off to a good start when Jarrad Burke and Simmons applied themselves well in the scorching heat to put on 109 runs for the first wicket. Both the left-handed opening batsmen smacked a six each over the long-on fence. Burke made 44 off 53 balls before being smartly stumped off the bowling of Nair. Simmons made 69 off 74 balls, striking the ball cleanly for eleven fours and a six, before falling to the wiles of Golwalkar, completely mistiming the sweep shot.

Ryan Harris and George Bailey missed out, scoring a run each. It was then left to the visiting skipper Symonds to unleash some hefty blows to take them past the target. Symonds finished on 31 not out off 35 balls, cracking five fours and swiping a mighty six over square leg. Casson remained unbeaten on seven.

The visitors had earlier won the first encounter, a 50-over match against the same opponents, by three wickets at the Guru Nanak College Grounds on Saturday. The two teams meet again in a limited-overs match on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

© CricInfo