England XI finished day one of the tour game at Canberra on 29-0 after the Australian Prime Minister’s XI declared on 308-8.
The England XI openers, captain Tom Haines and Emilio Gay, survived five difficult overs from Charlie Anderson and Campbell Thompson before stumps on day one of the two-day day-night practice match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval. Thompson even had Haines dropped at slip in the second over.
However, Haines and Gay also picked up seven boundaries between them, and England XI went to stumps at 29-0 after Cameron Bancroft declared the home innings closed at 308-8.
Mark Wood set to miss Brisbane Test
Sam Konstas and Campbell Kellaway began serenely, adding 85 for the opening stand after Bancroft won the toss and opted to bat. Konstas eventually lost his patience, unsuccessfully tried to clear mid-on off Haines for 36. Kellaway (82) continued into the second session before Haines took a brilliant one-handed reflex catch at first slip off Tom Hartley.
Ahead of the tour game, Michael Vaughan had suggested that it would be “amateurish” of the England Test players to not play in the game. However, England did not pick a single player from their XI from the Perth Test match. However, they did include three members from the fill squad – fast bowlers Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue and batter Jacob Bethell.
Potts was probing in the first session and particularly impressive in his use of the short-pitched ball. He used the short-pitched ball to great effect early in the third session. Having made 63, Nathan McSweeney hooked Potts, and Ben Kellaway sprinted backwards from mid-wicket to take an excellent catch. In Potts’ next over, Peake (54) mistimed a short-pitched ball to mid-on.
With Mark Wood set to be miss the Brisbane Test match, Potts might have made a case for himself as replacement if England decide to retain their all-pace attack.
Taking a leaf out of Potts’ book, Josh Hull bowled a bouncer that Hugh Weibgen mistimed and was caught. From 231-2, the hosts slipped to 238-5, which became 258-6 when Handscomb missed the line of a ball from Haines and was bowled.
At this point it seemed the hosts might get bowled out, but wicketkeeper Joel Curtis (33 not out) pushed them past the 300-run mark before Handscomb ensured his fast bowlers had a go at the England XI openers.
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