England bowling blunted by Canterbury grit

It may have been a match to celebrate 125 years of Canterbury cricket but today's match with England at Hagley Oval won't rate any special mentions when the next 125 years are celebrated.

England captain Nasser Hussain said he batted so long to give his players the chance to get out of one-day mode and ready for next week's Test match, but what 29 minutes of extra batting at the start of today's third day, or an extra hour last evening, did for the side is hard to say.

The basic story of the day was that England declared at the fall of Craig White's wicket for 73 scored off 151 balls, an innings which surely passed Hussain's concentration test.

The total was 432/9, a lead of 220 runs but a 112-run opening stand by Shanan Stewart (58) and Robbie Frew (72) effectively denied England the chance of a victory and the side ended its two game warm-up campaign without having once bowled out the opposition. Canterbury were 175/2 with Michael Papps 30 not out and Gareth Hopkins two not out.

Canterbury and Otago, the two opponents occupy fourth and sixth places on the domestic State Championship ladder.

"It was important to get some big runs on the board and get away from that one-day mentality. It was important to concentrate for long periods of time and I think quite a few of our batters did that," he said.

Hussain pronounced himself satisfied with the match and said if a couple of early decisions had gone England's way in Canterbury's first innings the home side might well have been bowled out for less than 100.

While his bowlers had enjoyed a good workout during the match, especially Andy Caddick and Matthew Hoggard, he was not concerned about their readiness for the Test.

"Two weeks ago you [the media] were all concerned about Andrew Caddick, now he's suddenly become our linchpin. Two weeks ago Matthew Hoggard was bowling fine, swinging it round in One-Day Internationals.

"They've all got to be right for Wednesday, they've not got to be getting six or seven wickets here. They've bowled well at times and they've not bowled well at times," Hussain said.

The bowlers would have to get out of the sort of approach they used in India where they bowled in channels and bowled fuller and straighter in New Zealand conditions.

Hussain said he had his prospective Test side down to 12 players.

Although he said coach Duncan Fletcher might view things differently. There was still a test of how people reacted over the next three or four days in the lead-up to the match.

Michael Vaughan's 156 had stamped as a compelling case for inclusion in the Test side.

"Vaughan has been a fine player for a long time, we've all seen that. The way he played his one-day innings in Auckland, the way he played here, he's a special player.

"He's been in the Test side, he's not someone who's been on the periphery, he's been in the Test side, he's been in the one-day side, he's a prospect of the future, he's player for the present. He's a fine player."

Andrew Flintoff was not a concern. He had been played primarily as a batsman in this game and while he had bowled nine overs in the first innings, it had been intended that he only bowl five in the innings but Hussain admitted that he got a bit excited when he saw a bouncy wicket and wanted to throw the ball to Flintoff.

The two game preparation had to be accepted by England as sufficient because that was the way of international cricket nowadays.

The programme was at its absolute limit. The side had been in India, had played a one-day series, was now going to play three Tests and then would be going home to face several more opponents.

"Two games is the way it is and that is the way people have to get used to it," he said.

"The new ball is very important out here. In India you could drag it back a little with spin, here the new ball is king, especially the Kookaburra ball, it swings around for 15-20 overs and then it goes a bit soft.

"So our use of the new ball has to be the key to making play as much as possible," he said.