Injury-hit England Pull Off Victory Over South Africa A
November 17, 2009 by Alex Homer
Fifties from Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior and Andrew Strauss guided an injury-ravaged England to a tense four-wicket victory over South Africa A at Potchefstroom.
Strauss, returning after resting through the Twenty20 series, led from the front with 65 off 71 balls before being caught behind off Cornelius de Villiers.
Joe Denly struggled – dropped on 12 and lacking fluency on his way to 24 – but Denly’s dismissal paved the way for Trott to arrive.
Trott built on the impetus provided by Strauss and Denly’s 68-run opening stand as his 89-ball 78, along with the captain, provided the platform for England to launch a late assault on the Proteas second string’s imposing 279-6.
Kevin Pietersen(4) and Eoin Morgan(21) came and went, though crucially neither wasted valuable deliveries in prolonged stays that would hamper England’s momentum.
Matt Prior then joined Trott in a 66-run partnership that left England 49 runs short before Morne Morkel castled Warwickshire batsman Trott.
With only eleven fit players available, England’s lack of resources off the field was evident as 40-year-old bowling coach Ottis Gibson earlier appeared as substitute.
On the field however, with wickets if not squad members still in tact, Luke Wright personified the license provided the lower order by Strauss and Trott’s earlier industry.
Hammering 46 runs in just four overs with Prior took England to the brink of victory before Prior was bowled by de Villiers on 54. Tim Bresnan then joined Wright, who finished with 25 off 14 balls, to seal victory with 11 balls to spare.
Stuart Broad’s and James Anderson’s absence, with shoulder and right knee problems respectively, had left the seam cupboard bare, which team management eventually conceded through Liam Plunkett’s call-up as cover this afternoon.
Allied with the injuries to Paul Collingwood (back), Graeme Swann (intercostal injury) and Alastair Cook(pictured) waking with a stiff back this morning, little was to be expected from an injury-ravaged England after their demolition in Sunday’s Twenty20.
Encouragingly Graham Onions played for the first time on tour though his first burst saw openers Hashim Amla and Andrew Puttick put on 77 in 14.4 overs.
Wright made the breakthrough when Amla was caught by Strauss on 37 and from then on South Africa A were guilty of not capitalising – all of the top five making at least 24 without going on to make a match-winning innings while all England’s seamers took wickets.
Heino Kuhn, who kept wicket in Mark Boucher’s stead on Sunday, guided the tail with an unbeaten 42 but the target proved a few runs short.
Related Posts
 |
For more updates and latest news, be sure to get our daily emails sent direct to you free of charge by clicking here |
[...] joined Jonathan Trott, opening after Joe Denly’s limited impression on tour, to rally and did so productively too, in a 162-run stand that took the tourists to the brink of [...]