da esoccer bet： Graeme Hick stated his credentials for a Test place with an authoritativeinnings against the Sri Lankan board President’s spinners at P.SaravanmuttuStadium today
Charlie Austin10-Feb-2001Graeme Hick stated his credentials for a Test place with an authoritativeinnings against the Sri Lankan board President’s spinners at P.SaravanmuttuStadium today. He scored 75 crucial runs having come to the crease withEngland in trouble in their second innings and ensured that they go into thefinal day of this practice game with an excellent chance of securingvictory.
GraemeHick
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When Hick plays with the positive intent that he displayed todaythere are few better players of spin bowling. With an economy of movement hehit the ball with disconcerting power and regained the initiative from theSri Lanka spinners, who had taken three wickets in the space of three oversto leave England teetering on 119 for five.He signalled his intent from the beginning with a checked drive through extracover off Dinuk Hettiarachchi and then a clean straight six off the off spinof Thilan Samaraweera. Unlike some of his colleagues, who rely heavily uponthe sweep shot, Hick prefers to hit straight down the ground and isconfident when using his feet. He hit ten fours and one six in his 112 ballinnings.”I am feeling really good at the moment and that was valuable time for me at the crease today,” he said afterwards. “I thought I played well and was pleased with some of my shots as I had wanted to use my feet and hit down the ground.”We now have one more match before the First Test Match and I will keep trying my best to score runs, as will Michael, and then it’s up to the selectors. If he scores runs and England win then that’s fine. Everyone is making a lot of it, but we just want to get out there, play our best, and help England win.”Hick was well supported by Craig White, who made runs for the second time inthe match. The pair added 63 runs for the sixth wicket with Whitecontributing 39 of them. Even more so than Hick, he was bold in his methodand not afraid of lofting the ball over the infield.Then, when White was caught on the mid-wicket boundary after top-edging apull-sweep, Hick added a further 54 runs with Ashley Giles. He waseventually caught at cover trying to loft Test prospect, DinukHettiarachchi, who finished with five wickets, over mid on.Hick’s runs allowed Nasser Hussain the luxury of declaring on 261 for nine,which left the President’s XI with a stiff 326-run target. The Englandbowlers were given a 52-minute burst before the close of play in whichDarren Gough grabbed three wickets in a hostile opening spell to leave theSri Lankans on 20 for three.On the grimly slow pitches here Gough has charged up to the wicket and bowled with great pace and fire. He has hurried the batsmen and shown that the fast men need not be resigned to a supportive role in Sri Lanka.He trapped Jehan Mubrak lbw as the tall left-hander offered no stroke to astraight delivery and then clean bowled Michael Vandort with a briskinswinging yorker in his first over. Then, he had Chaminda Mendis snapped upin the gully moments after unsettling the President’s XI captain with apainful blow to the body.Earlier in the day Michael Atherton had eased any concerns over his formwith a fluent 47 from 80 balls. With Hussain being dismissed cheaply,Atherton added 60 runs with Graham Thorpe before he was adjudged to havebeen caught behind off the left arm spin of Hettiarachchi. The Surreyleft-hander went on to score an industrious 40 before being trapped lbw bythe same bowler.Alec Stewart scored just 11 runs as he was stumped for the second time inthe match and Michael Vaughan top-edged a sweep to short fine leg toregister his second duck of the tour.