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| July 8, 2006 | Saturday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 11, 1427 |
Read enhances Test claims with century
CANTERBURY (England), July 7: Former England wicket-keeper Chris Read advanced his case for a Test recall by making an unbeaten century for England ‘A’ on Friday against a near full-strength Pakistan attack.
When bad light ended play on the second day of this four-day match, England ‘A’ were 530 for nine in their first innings with Read 120 not out and last man Stuart Broad, unbeaten on 29.
Earlier Pakistan suffered a second injury blow in their final first-class warm-up match before the first Test against England when fast bowler Mohammad Asif left the field with a right elbow injury.
Asif sent down just five overs on Friday, but Pakistan tour manager Zaheer Abbas said he expected the paceman to be available for selection come Thursday's first Test at Lord's.
His injury came after Kamran Akmal, the only wicket-keeper in the Pakistan squad, sustained a left index finger injury.
Kamran, off the field for most of the first day's play, did not take the field Friday with stand-in Faisal Iqbal continuing behind the stumps.
Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria led the attack with four for 148 in a marathon 46 overs on a good batting pitch.
Read, who played the last of his 11 Tests against the West Indies in Barbados over two years ago, was dropped in favour of Geraint Jones on account of the latter's superior batting.
But at his Kent rival's county home ground Read, 27, played an assured innings even when, on 91, he saw last man Broad come to the crease.
However, the 19-year-old pace bowling son of former England opening batsman and now an ICC match referee Chris, kept his wicket intact.
Then Read's cover-driven boundary off occasional spinner Imran Farhat, his 14th four, took him to a 140-ball hundred which also included a straight six off Kaneria.
His innings was timely with Jones, widely regarded as an inferior keeper to Read, having seen his Test batting average drop to 26.
England are due to name their first Test squad on Sunday and, for all Jones's woes, it would still be a major surprise if he lost his place, given the unswerving support he has had from England coach Duncan Fletcher.
Another player aiming for a Test return was ‘A’ team captain Robert Key whose seven-hour innings, on his Kent home ground, was eventually ended when the opener was bowled for 136 by Abdul Razzaq.
Key's exit left the hosts on 291 for six but a stand of 102 between Read and off-spinning all-rounder Alex Loudon kept Pakistan at bay.
Loudon made 51 before he top-edged a sweep off Kaneria and gave Salman Butt an easy catch at short fine leg.
England ‘A’ resumed on 268 for three, with Key 128 not out and Ravi Bopara seven not out.
Pakistan took the prize wicket of Key, who played the last of his 15 Tests against South Africa last year, when Razzaq struck with his second delivery Friday to knock over off-stump with a ball that moved away from the right-hander.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND ‘A’ (1st Innings):
A.N. Cook c Kamran b Sami 3
R.W.T. Key b Abdul Razzaq 136
I.R. Bell c Faisal b Umar Gul 74
O.A. Shah c Imran b Kaneria 23
R.S. Bopara c sub b Sami 15
J.W.M. Dalrymple lbw b Umar Gul 1
A.G.R. Loudon c Salman b Kaneria 51
C.M.W. Read not out 120
T.T. Bresnan c sub b Kaneria 23
M.J. Hoggard c Faisal b Kaneria 3
S.C.J. Broad not out 29
EXTRAS (B-27, LB-16, W-1, NB-8) 52
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 162 overs) 530
FALL OF WKTS: 1-4, 2-164, 3-238, 4-282, 5-283, 6-291, 7-393, 8-453, 9-468.
BOWLING (to-date): Mohammad Asif 23-3-73-0 (4nb, 1w); Mohammad Sami 21-3-69-2 (3nb); Umar Gul 28-4-73-2; Abdul Razzaq 26-9-65-1 (1nb); Danish Kaneria 46-7-148-4; Imran Farhat 17-2-55-0; Salman Butt 1-0-4-0.—AFP
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