da realbet： Ian Ward’s hunger for runs looks inexhaustible after he made another doggedcentury at St George’s today, putting England A in a strong position to earnvaluable points against Guyana in the third round Busta Cup match
Kate Laven20-Jan-2001Ian Ward’s hunger for runs looks inexhaustible after he made another doggedcentury at St George’s today, putting England A in a strong position to earnvaluable points against Guyana in the third round Busta Cup match.Following on from his century against Trinidad and Tobago last week, theSurrey opener grafted for seven and a half hours to finish on 118 as EnglandA were bowled out for 413.While Ward provided the ballast, three more half-centuries from Aftab Habib,young James Foster and Chris Schofield blew the wind into England A’s sails,steering them through another steaming hot day in Grenada.Habib was on 36 when he resumed this morning and his elegant and timelessstrokemaking provided one of the highlights of the day as he negotiated theGuyanan spinners with consummate ease. He was dropped on 48 but afterreaching his second half century of the tour, came down the wicket to CarlHooper, lofting the ball straight to Eion Katchay at long off.By then Ward had reached his own milestone. His century came off 321 ballsof which just five found the boundary rope and he was content to eke out theruns while his partners were more flamboyant. Guyana used just two spinnersfor much of the session but a change in the attack, with leg-spinner RonMatthews introduced in the 29th over of the morning brought instant results.With his third ball, he dislodged Ward’s middle stump with a ball that keptlow and another mammoth innings was over with the score 293 for five. Theselectors’ decision to involve all the players who had not yet played meantthe rest of the order was short of experience so the next passage of playbefore and after lunch proved vital.New boy James Foster, the 20 year-old student who was brought into replaceChris Read to keep wicket, gave his compatriots a happy surprise with anexhibition that from the outset looked promising. He watched carefully,pushed contentedly at non-scoring balls but was quick with his feet wheneveran opportunity arose.
ChrisSchofield
Photo John Dawson
He rattled up a quick half-century and with Chris Schofield added 72 for thesixth wicket before being bowled by Ramnaresh Sarwan with a ball that nippedback. If he impresses with the gloves, his place in the side for the fourthround match against Barbados is virtually assured after such an impressivedebut.Neil McGarrell had bowled 42 overs in the innings before he struck lucky andit was a real stroke of luck when the umpire responded positively to anappeal for a catch that came off Paul Franks’ arm. The off-spinner foundhimself on a hat trick when Ryan Sidebottom drove loosely at his next balland was bowled, but had to deliver another ten overs before wrapping up theEngland A innings having Schofield stumped by Vishal Nagamootoo for a sting-in-the-tail 66.It was a confident show from England A’s younger contingent who gaveselectors little cause to worry at going into this important match with suchan array of callow faces.The confidence shown by new ball attack Jonathan Lewis and Ryan Sidebottom,who had not yet bowled on tour, was less evident as both erred with theirfront foot, resulting in Guyana adding eight runs to their total beforestumps but their hostility and accuracy was impressive and Lewis was unluckyto finish the day with just one wicket, his victim Nicholas de Groot caughtat first slip by Vikram Solanki.By the close, Guyana were 28 for one but the day belonged to Ward, who yetagain exhibited credentials that should stand him in good stead when Englandselectors start casting their net for a replacement for Mike Atherton.Afterwards, he described his innings as `functional’ but not `aestheticallypleasing’.”If you achieve success as a result of hard work, good preparation and afair amount of thought, then it is very satisfactory. The runs have not comequickly and I haven’t been in the best of nick.”Nick is about playing to your strengths, seeing the ball, timing it rightand moving your feet and while it all worked for me in Trinidad, but herefrom ball one, the rhythm and timing wasn’t quite there. The wicket didn’thelp.”But it is pleasing to me that I can still get runs without being in thebest of nick. The innings was functional – certainly not aestheticallypleasing to anyone watching. It goes back to game plans – I looked at thepitch and assessed that the ball would not come on very well. It was goingto be two paced and we decided we would have to bat a lot of overs to scoreruns and through stubbornness and a refusal to give my wicket away, I wasable to achieve that.”