Date-stamped : 08 Nov95 - 22:31 Tour Match: Combined XI v England 'A' Defence Stadium, Karachi 5,6,7,8 November 1995 ====> Day 1, 5 Nov 95 Salisbury and Giddins turn up heat as tourists take charge - Paul Newman First day of three: England (47-0) trail Combined XI (204) by 157 runs THE Sussex connection gave England A their third successive pro- ductive day here yesterday but the gloss was taken off an out- standing team bowling performance by a second injury scare. Ian Salisbury and Ed Giddins, more at home at Hove than Karachi, took seven of the 10 Combined XI wickets to fall on an opening tour, first-class day in which England prospered despite having their attacking options restricted as early as the seventh over. It was then that Mike Smith, Gloucestershire`s left-arm swing bowler, suffered a recurrence of the rib injury that kept him out of six of his county`s championship matches last season. He left the field, clearly concerned, but said later that he hoped to test the problem during the Combined XI`s second in- nings. As Smith departed for treatment so Craig White returned from a nearby hospital. His cracked thumb is healing nicely and he hopes to be fit in time for the first `Test` on Nov 17. Smith`s absence left England with just Giddins and Ronnie Irani, himself nursing a back condition, to bowl seam on a wicket in keeping with Pakistan`s reputation for flat surfaces. Yet both they, and the three spinners, responded admirably to the extra workload and reduced a Combined XI led by Test batsman Shoaib Mohammad from the apparent prosperity of 107 for two to a medio- cre 204 all out. Nick Knight and Anthony McGrath then survived an awkward 19-over finale. Giddins was particularly impressive. He is not a great fan of ex- treme heat and, while playing grade cricket in Australia, once took to skipping lunch during matches and cycling to the nearest swimming pool for a refreshing dip. That is not possible here but Giddins, Angus Fraser-like in his fatigued demeanour, summoned up reserves of energy to take three good wickets and came close to a fourth when Azam Khan, the top scorer, survived a loud appeal for a catch behind down the leg side when on 24. Salisbury, Giddins` more experienced Sussex team-mate, can take wickets in most conditions and while there was still the occa- sional cost, Knight assisting with a blinding diving catch at cover to dismiss Mahmood Hamid. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 2, 6 Nov 95 Hussain battles to secure control - Paul Newman Second day: England A (279-9) lead Combined XI (204) by 75 runs IT was, said England A captain Nasser Hussain, about as difficult as the two-month tour of Pakistan will get. A blisteringly hot day full of spin bowling, full-blooded appeals and lengthy drinks breaks at Karachi`s Defence Stadium ended as it began with Eng- land on top but not quite fully in command. They had to fight for every one of their 279 runs, scored off 116 overs, but were able to grind out a lead of 75 on a wicket that is starting to offer appreciable turn. The Combined XI, basically another Pakistan Cricket Board team with a different name, will need to show a great deal more application than they managed in their first innings if they are to stop England recording their third tour victory. At the centre of the A team`s batting efforts again, was Hussain, who batted for 216 minutes to ensure his side did not waste the advantage given them by Ed Giddins and Ian Salisbury. He entered at the fall of Anthony McGrath`s wicket and, for a time, did not know where his next run was coming from in the face of quality spin bowling from slow left-armer Nadeem Khan and leg-spinner Shahid Khan. But by the time Hussain left, the seventh man to fall and with 11 fours in his 177-ball stay the A team captain had made his third half-century in three matches. England`s work, though, was not quite done. They needed a stand of 45 from Salisbury and Shaun Udal, the spinners who will be kept busy today, to edge them further in front and, with just celebrated rabbit Giddins left to keep Udal company, the A team can expect to be bowling again early today. Yesterday`s keen contest was witnessed, among a crowd of around 200, by two familiar faces who are not often mentioned in the same breath: Hanif Mohammad, once run out for "499 and a half," as he puts it, was watching his son Shoaib leading the Combined XI while Rehan Alikhan, the former Surrey batsman now living in Karachi, caught up with old friends. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 3, 7 Nov 95 Irani`s best haul tears heart out of Pakistanis - Paul Newman Third day: Combined XI (204 & 211-9) lead England A (312) by 103 runs RONNIE IRANI and Nasser Hussain are the centre of attention wher- ever England A go here, because both have Asian fathers. Yesterday the Essex all-rounder joined his county colleague in providing the locals with plenty to talk about. Irani, whose career has taken off in the two seasons since his move south from Lancashire, produced the bowling performance of his life on a wicket that gave him no help just when the Combined XI were making things difficult for England. Now, the A team have a clear sight of victory. With Mike Smith again having to withdraw from the attack because of his intercostal injury, the A team`s pace bowling resources were stretched to the limit, but Hussain delayed introducing Irani until the 41st over to protect his injured back and because he operates better with an old ball. Figures of five for 14 - four of the wickets coming in an eight- over spell after tea - ripped the heart out of the Combined XI batting and gave Irani a career-best return. To cap it all, his Bombay-born father, Jimmy, was in the crowd, having flown to Karachi to watch his son. Before Irani`s intervention, the home side had cancelled out England`s first-innings advantage of 108 for the loss of three wickets and were looking to build a lead of around 200 that would have given them a fighting chance. Now, with nine wickets down and a lead of 103, opener Muhammad Ramzan, standing firm for an unbeaten century, the Combined XI are struggling. Irani plays down his back condition. "It`s only the occasional niggle," he insists. "If you want to get to the top, you have to play through these things." But a problem that first occurred in 1994, causing him to slightly remodel his action, dictates that he will not be over-bowled on this tour. He has now returned to his original side-on action and moved the ball both ways to find three edges that were expertly taken by Keith Piper and earned two lbws from umpire Salim Badar. He upheld three English appeals in all, while his colleague, Islam Khan, gave the three lbws in the A team`s innings. England`s first-innings lead was unexpectedly extended into three figures yesterday by an entertaining last-wicket stand of 36 between Shaun Udal and Ed Giddins; the Hampshire off-spinner recording his 11th first-class half-century and the Sussex bowler happy to contribute five. Smith, meanwhile, will rest his sore side during England`s next match in Lahore and is ruled out of the first `Test`. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@*ogi.edu) ====> Day 4, 8 Nov 95 Knight to the rescue as new order falters - Paul Newman Fourth day: England (312 & 116-4) beat Combined XI (204 & 223) by six wickets NICK KNIGHT, the opening batsmen who could so easily now have been in Kimberley rather than Karachi, yesterday guided England A to their third win in three Pakistan tour games. But the four players most in need of time in the middle wasted their chances. England took 11 overs to end the Combined XI`s last-wicket partnership at the Defence Stadium, Ian Salisbury breaking Taufiq Badar`s resistance to claim match figures of eight for 146. Faced with a target of 116, they decided to shuffle their batting pack. But Jason Pooley, Dominic Ostler, Keith Piper and Ronnie Irani, all still to record a decent score here with only one game remaining before the first `Test`, fell cheaply and, with England at 56 for four, the Combined XI, vociferous at the best of times, were far more excited than the paltry crowd. It was left to Knight, who would have been in South Africa now had England followed usual practice and selected a third tour opener, to steady the A team`s nerves in partnership with the ra- pidly maturing Anthony McGrath. The pair added 60 without alarm, a final flourish ensuring the six-wicket win was completed 15 minutes before tea. England now head north to Lahore with a perfect opening fortnight in Karachi behind them. Knight faced 132 balls for his unbeaten 71, hitting just five fours but demonstrating the application and concentration that should see him add significantly to his two Test caps. His one blemish came when he offered a difficult skied chance to midwicket on 13 but Shahid Khan, in keeping with the mediocre Combined XI fielding, made a hash of it. That would have left England on 25 for four on a wicket that did not deteriorate as much as expected, yet with captain Nasser Hussain dropping him- self down the order to No 7, the A team always felt they had something in reserve. "I never thought we would lose," said Hussain. "Knight played well and it was good practice in a typically Pakistani pressure situation. "It`s been bloody hard work here against good opposition and we know now that we`ll have to be at our best in all matches other- wise we`ll get walloped." The bulk of the expected Pakistan A side for the three-`Test` series, who will be captained by Asif Mujtaba, have featured in the three sides encountered by England so far and the rest will be seen in a different Combined XI at Lahore on Saturday. With players such as Shoaib Mohammad, Ijaz Ahmed, Nadeem Khan and Kabir Khan likely to be included, Pakistan A will be no pushover. One young player, however, will not be picked just yet. Shehzar Mohammad has been busy at the Defence Stadium practising his leg-spin repertoire in front of his approving father, Shoaib, and grandfather Hanif, regularly bamboozling the professionals with his variations. There must be something in the genes - Shehzar is just five years old. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@*ogi.edu)