C Raghu put up an impressive all-round show to guide Karnataka State Cricket Association XI to an eight-wicket win over the Australian Centre of Excellence (ACE) in the Emerging Players Tournament in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Electing to field after winning the toss, KSCA XI, who had not won a single match in the tournament so far, restricted ACE to 189 for eight with Raghu scalping three wickets conceding only 16 runs.
KSCA XI reached the target with 9.1 overs to spare after Raghu stole the show with his unbeaten knock of 76. The ACE were in the lurch after their top-order crumbled and only a late fightback by Cullen Bailey (49 n.o.) and Phillip Hughes (32), who added 51 for the eighth wicket, saved the hosts from complete collapse.
However, the effort was not enough as Raghu smashed two sixes and 10 fours in his run-a-ball knock to take KSCA XI to a comfortable win, with KB Pawan (25), CM Gautam (48) and V Cheluvaraj (23) also doing their bit.
KSCA XI are, however, out of contention for the finals, to be played between the New Zealand and South African teams on Saturday.