Lions wag their tail

Christchurch, 1st day
England Lions 331-9 (Wright 69, Patel 64, Batty 64) v New Zealand A

By Charles Randall at Lincoln University

THE Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright led a fightback by the England
Lions as they extricated themselves from a mess on the first day of
the second Test against New Zealand A at Lincoln University.

Wright produced a high-quality 69 off only 78 balls after the Lions
had stumbled to 112 for five in a fierce diagonal north-west wind. The
distraction of these conditions perhaps explained some strange miscued
shots among the upper order.

Excellent knocks by Samit Patel and Gareth Batty, plus a tail-wagging
40 not out from Sajid Mahmood, took the Lions to greater heights than
had seemed likely soon after lunch, having been put in to bat.

Patel, barred from joining the senior England squad in the Caribbean
due to his body condition, knew even before his century earlier this
week in the first Test at Queenstown that he would be staying behind
in New Zealand. Batty is due to fly out instead after the close of
play on Tuesday.

Both men hit 64 in differing styles. Patel had to steady a rickety
start, driving and clipping series of meaty boundaries. Batty was
severe with his cutting, invariably sweetly timed, but the day
belonged to Wright rather than his two swings-and-roundabouts
colleagues.

Wright batted aggressively to a 56-ball fifty without his strokeplay
spilling into recklessness. This was a really good innings that
started to purr with two cover-driven boundaries off consecutive balls
from the Black Cap one-day left-arm seamer Ewen Thompson. A cracking
sweep to the midwicket boundary off the last ball before tea off
left-arm spinner Bruce Martin summed up a bold frame of mind.

Wright said: "I was determined to start positively. ’Batts’ came in
and started well, striking the ball nicely, so we’ve got ourselves
into a decent position. The pitch was stopping a bit, tennis ball
bounce, and their bowlers got the ball in good areas, bowling really
tight, which probably had drawn some loose shots from batsmen trying
to score.

"That’s the way we’ve got to go with our bowling. It’s not the sort of
wicket you can blast poeple out on. It’s not the quickest of wickets
and we have to be patient. The ball was nibbling about a little off
the seam."

Rob Key was the frist to depart, miscuing a hook at James Franklin —
bowling into the wind — and the ball lobbed up to the wicketkeeper.
Thompson struck twice when Jonathan Trott clipped a catch to midwicket
and Steve Moore skied a crooked drive — only for Patel to drive a
similar delivery for six in the same over with a beautiful straight
swing of the bat.

Joe Denly (pictured), replacing the Middlesex left-hander Eoin Morgan from the
first Test, eased his nerves with a lovely cover drive for four ’on
the up’ before over-reaching himself. Ben Scott pulled a catch to
midwicket, sixth out on 154.

It took a breezy stand of 65 in 14 overs by Wright and his room-mate
Batty to steady the Lions boat before Wright was lbw to a slower
looping ball from the excellent Brent Arnel that the batsman lost over
the sightscreen.

The tail excelled and Sajid Mahmood benefited from the day’s only
dropped catch to smash Thompson for a six into the poplars in an over
costing 17 during a useful unbroken last-wicket stand of 32 with Mark
Davies.

Picture courtesy of Getty Images