MICHAEL FINCH, Durban | Saturday 6.00pm.
CAPTAIN Nasser Hussain finally found some form with a half-century as England got in valuable match practice on the second day of their four-day tour game against the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins on Saturday.
England bowled the province side out for 310 just after lunch and then reached 163 for two at stumps on a decent day’s cricket after rain had severely curtailed play the day before.
At the close Hussain was 54 not out, with one six and four fours, and Michael Vaughan 27 not out. Their unbroken third-wicket stand was worth 77.
It was Hussain’s highest first-class score of the tour, bettering his 41 against a Combined Free State/Griqualand West XI, and, with the second test against South Africa starting on Thursday, his innings was a welcome confidence-booster.
Earlier 19-year-old Jon Kent had frustrated England on his way to total of 103, which included two sixes and seven fours, as the Dolphins added 110 runs in the first session.
Even when Kent was caught in the covers by Darren Maddy off Andy Flintoff to reduce the Dolphins to 227 for eight, England’s torment continued as Kevin Pieterson and number 11 Gary Gilder plundered a further 69 runs for the last wicket.
Pieterson made 61 not out, including four sixes and four fours, and Gilder 28, with one six and three fours.
Seamer Andrew Caddick took four for 64 in 29 overs for England, while Alex Tudor had three for 91 and Flintoff two for 47.
England began their innings positively, with Mark Butcher and Mike Atherton putting on 76 for the first wicket.
Atherton, bowled for nought in both innings in England’s heavy defeat in the first test, was first to go, stumped off the bowling of off-spinner Kevin Pieterson for 44, which included five fours.
Three overs later Butcher was brilliantly caught at short cover by Ahmed Amla off Gilder for 35, which included eight fours. England were then 86 for two but Hussain and Vaughan denied the provincial side further wickets. — Reuters