Strauss tunes up for Test with timely ton

Take that: Andrew Strauss on his way to a century today

21 March 2012

Andrew Strauss made a century for England today but the feat was unlikely to have prompted high fives in the dressing room, given the strength of the opposition.

The innings against the Sri Lanka Development XI was, however, potentially significant. England’s captain has not exactly been trading on past glories recently but he needed some precious time at the crease before the first Test against Sri Lanka next Monday.

Strauss is having a lean time of it in international cricket for the moment and the worst preparation for the two-Test series would have been another failure here after a litany of low Test scores.

Strauss and his temporary opening partner, Jonathan Trott, who also scored a hundred, enjoyed themselves on another gloriously hot if oppressive day. They put on 197 in 44 overs before Strauss called a halt — officially retired out — having reached 100 from 140 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Trott departed the same way four overs later on 101 from a ball more and two extra boundaries. This mode of artificial dismissal is always dangerous and England swiftly lost two more wickets legitimately.

Ian Bell continued a horrific run of winter form by clipping his 18th ball to mid-wicket on 14 and Kevin Pietersen, also short of runs in the long game, was stumped, missing one from the left-arm spinner, Sajeewa Weerakoon, to leave the tourists on 247 for four.

It was, in a way, England’s turn to take advantage of the benign conditions. They had to wait as the Development XI batted on in the morning until

they had reached their maximum allocation of 100 first-innings overs — just enough time to work up another heavy sweat.

Carving away unconventionally for 10 overs, the Board team added 55 for the loss of one more wicket, finishing on 431 for six declared, before England were allowed a bash. Strauss took 17 balls to get off the mark, the new ball posing the only realistic danger other perhaps than perspiration running down the brow.

Once up and running, he immediately struck two typical boundaries, a cut and a crisp drive wide of mid-on, and soon enough was being quite untypical. Strauss waltzed down the track to despatch Weerakoon’s second ball for six over long off.

Trott may be the world player of the year but he, too, was in need of morale-boosting runs. In common with most of England’s other batsmen, his tour of the UAE never quite took off as may have been expected and he scored only 15 in the first of the two practice matches here.

He settled the more quickly of the pair and scored four fours in an over from the 20-year-old left-arm seamer, Isura Undana.

Neither batsman was in the slightest bother, though the presence of a snake on the perimeter and a two-foot long lizard on the outfield for 10 minutes might have disturbed their equilibrium.

England try to win their tour matches these days rather than treat them as glorified net practice. In generous batting conditions such as those on offer at the Singhalese Sport Club, despite the endeavours of Bell and Pietersen, they may have to settle for a high-scoring draw.

COLOMBO SCORE

Sri Lanka Dev XI 431-6 (Silva 163, Perera 85) v England XI 247-4 (Strauss 100, Trott 101)

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Strauss tunes up for Test with timely ton

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