Crricket: Century stands in first day mixed bag

CHRISTCHURCH - England A had an odd opening day to their four-day cricket match against the North Island at Lincoln yesterday - two century stands split by a six-wicket tumble.

At stumps, England A were 275 for seven from 100 overs, having won the toss.

Openers Ian Ward and Michael Gough showed there were few demons in the pitch by batting through the first session relatively untroubled.

Their stand was worth 125, but when they were dismissed within four balls, it exposed the new batsmen to a useful North Island attack, based primarily around pace.

Ward was the more aggressive of the pair with the tall Gough, who played here last season with the England youth team, more content to accumulate.

Six wickets fell for 34 runs, but almost as quickly as the wicket flurry started it stopped with David Sales and Chris Schofield not only halting any further advance until just before stumps but scoring freely with a 109-run seventh wicket stand in even time.

Sales survived a life on one when dropped by Mathew Sinclair at third slip off Andrew Penn, who would have taken a deserved third wicket in a lively spell downwind with the brisk northerly behind him.

Sales then looked solid lacing an unbeaten 65 with six fours from 116 balls while the unorthodox left-hander Schofield, ever keen to attack the bowling, struck eight fours in his 52 from 91 balls.

Leg-spinner Brooke Walker, who was on New Zealand's tour to England earlier this year, was not used by North captain Blair Pocock who felt he would be of more value in the second innings.

Among those who failed to cash in on the good work of Gough and Ward was Aftab Habib, who was out for four, not playing a shot.

Habib is looking to the team's New Zealand tour and the next county season to resurrect an abbreviated test career.

Habib, aged 27, played the first two tests against New Zealand on their tour of England tour earlier this year but after innings of 1, 6 and 19 was discarded.

However he returned to his Leicestershire county and showed his mettle, scoring 1020 county runs at 48.57 to top their averages.

Selection for the England A team on its two-month tour to Bangladesh and New Zealand followed and Habib is determined to strive for the top again.

"It was a step up to the big arena and crowds associated with international games," he said.

"While I was disappointed I couldn't make the most of that chance I want to prove that I deserve another opportunity. "

Scoring 1000 county runs during the season was a good start for the wristy stroke-maker of Pakistani descent.

Habib has been a regular visitor to the South Island spending two seasons in Nelson then the next two in Christchurch with the Riccarton club which he helped to win three club titles in 1997-98.

"So coming out here's a bit like a second home," said Habib who also made five one-day Shell Cup appearances for Canterbury two seasons ago.

- NZPA