MICHAEL FINCH, Alice | Thursday 7.00pm.
DARREN Maddy boosted his test hopes as he scored a match winning 133 to help England beat an Eastern Province/Border Invitation XI by 153 runs on Thursday.
England scored an impressive 309 for eight off their 50 overs as Maddy plundered his runs off just 116 balls with 11 fours. England then bowled out the Invitation XI for 156 in the 37th over.
With Mark Butcher battling for form, the 25-year-old Maddy put himself in line to take over as Mike Atherton’s opening partner for the third test starting in Durban in 10 days time.
After a solid opening partnership of 54 between captain Nasser Hussain, who was first out for 23, and Atherton, Maddy then shared in a rollicking 65 for the second wicket on a pitch that showed plenty of uneven bounce.
Atherton was dismissed for 51, and from then on Maddy dominated the innings with the next highest score coming from off-spinner Graeme Swann with 29.
With the outfield looking more like a cabbage patch than a cricket ground, fielding was difficult and Maddy took full advantage to help England add 102 in the final 10 overs.
The Leicestershire batsman was eventually out in the final over, caught on the boundary in the chase for runs.
Facing a run rate of 6.1 runs an over, the Combined XI lost their first two wickets for 28 runs and never recovered.
Opener Mark Benfield top scored with a gutsy 58 off 83 balls, but the introduction of left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell and Swann scuppered any local hopes.
Both spinners picked up three wickets, with Tufnell ending with three for 34 and Swann three for 38.
England next face an Eastern Province/Border XI in a four-day match starting in East London on Saturday. — Reuters