Timing is perfect as Butcher hits form

14 April 2012

Mark Butcher put himself in good heart for the next Test challenge of the winter while making an increasingly fluent century today.

The Surrey left-hander had a thin time of it in Bangladesh, failing on three occasions in a twomatch series after struggling to recover from a virus picked up during the early stages of that tour.

England may well need their most consistent batsman of last summer to hit top form over the next few weeks if they are to beat Sri Lanka. On the evidence of this innings against a President's XI, the signs seem encouraging.

"It's good to get some runs before the First Test even though you know a match like this isn't the real deal," said Butcher, who had reached an unbeaten 105 and led England to 225 for five in reply to their hosts' 181 all out before rain ended play two hours early for a second consecutive day.

"I just made a few errors in Bangladesh, but there was never a case of panicking or feeling I was struggling for form."

Despite Butcher's outwardly confident manner and even though he has scored Test centuries against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa this year, any vague mutterings about his ability clearly get through.

"If I have a couple of bad knocks it always feels as though my head is on the block," said England's leading Test run-scorer of 2003. "But I've become used to it and it can have a positive effect as well."

Certainly, Butcher grew increasingly positive today, as he underlined by completing a 147-ball, three-and-a-half-hour hundred by straight-driving spinner Thilan Samaraweera for a handsome six.

Opening with Nasser Hussain in the absence of both Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, Butcher had begun a little shakily. But, having seen Hussain dismissedin unfortunate circumstances- - bowled off his body for a second-ball duck during Dilhara Fernando's first over over - he steadily got to grips with the slow surface.

Some crisp cuts brought him most of his early boundaries, then he began driving with real assurance during consecutive stands of 93 with Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff.

Thorpe departed for 35, toeending an attempted pull against Fernando through to the keeper. And acting captain Flintoff hoisted a full toss from leg-spinner Bathiya Perera straight to deep mid-wicket after rattling along to 47 from 53 balls.

Both Chris Read and Gareth Batty were limited to just a few minutes in the middle - both of them run-out by Butcher in completely different circumstances. Read was always struggling after a poor call from his partner but Batty fell to a straight drive which Samaraweera deflected into the non-striker's stumps.

All in all, though, it added up to a decent day for England in their solitary warm-up match before Tuesday's First Test in Galle.

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Timing is perfect as Butcher hits form

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