CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Azharuddin and Rathore in form

Indians (290-4) bt NCA England XI (176-8) by 114 runs

Without having to break sweat - which would have been a feat in itself on a bright but chilly day - the Indian tourists won the second of their one-day warm-up matches before what will presumably be the sterner test awaiting them at Worcester tomorrow.

There was early reward for Paul Roshier, when Navjot Singh Sidhu played round a delivery, for he and Keith Arnold had used their experience to contain the batsmen.

Containment was not an option when Mohammad Azharuddin joined Vikram Rathore in the middle. Showing no signs of the shoulder injury which had kept him out of the previous day's match against the Duke of Norfolk's XI at Arundel, the Indian captain was at his wristy best. Opening or closing the face at will, he scarcely allowed the bowlers the luxury of a maiden ball, let alone a maiden over. His innings of 119 lasted only 113 balls and contained six fours and two lazily struck sixes.

Rathore was hardly less effective than his captain, his century coming at a run a ball with a six and 10 fours.

With the departure of Steve Dean in the third over, any realistic chance of the tourists suffering an embarrassment disappeared. Steve Foster was lbw to Paras Mhambrey five overs later.

Malcolm Roberts joined Simon Luckhurst in a century partnership which gave the English scorecard some substance. Roberts eventually drove the left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi to long-off, soon to be followed by Luckhurst, bowled round his legs sweeping the leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani.