Cowan And Taylor Impress on Final Day At Hove

Cowan And Taylor Impress on Final Day At HoveEd Cowan will be eyeing a Test recall after a second innings 77 not out at Hove.

Australians 366-5d & 152-2d drew with
Sussex 368-7 (Taylor 121no, Hamilton-Brown 73)
Tour Match, Hove

The tour match between Sussex and the Australians petered out into the expected draw on the final day at Hove. James Taylor completed his century to cap a good day on which he was named in England’s 14-man squad for the Thursday’s third Ashes Test, while Ed Cowan kept his name in the hat for the tourists with an unbeaten 77 in their second innings.

Sussex, resuming on 228 for five in their first innings, batted on for the full allocation of 100 overs that the playing conditions for this match allowed and went past the Australians’ 366 to finish on 368 for seven. Taylor and Chris Jordan took their overnight sixth-wicket partnership to 82 before the Bajan all-rounder was bowled by Mitchell Starc (2-43) for 47.

Taylor, though, shrugged off the criticism that greeted him from some quarters this morning for the nature of his innings yesterday and brought up three figures. What his detractors fail to realise is that he might not be the most elegant, or even technically correct, of batsman but he makes runs when they matter, as first-class and List A averages of around 50 testify. He can look ungainly at the crease at times, but he has his own method and knows it well.

Following Jordan’s departure, Taylor was joined by debutant wicket-keeper Callum Jackson, who made 26 off 50 balls before giving Nathan Lyon a belated maiden wicket. The Australians’ third spinner and Jackson’s fellow debutant, Ashton Turner, was also given a bowl before the innings was finished and got through four wicket-less overs at a cost of 16 runs.

Usman Khawaja was promoted to open in the tourists’ second innings but made only one before being caught off Lewis Hatchett, who has certainly enhanced his reputation during this match. Hatchett would also dismiss Phil Hughes for 38 before the day was done to end with figures of two for 28 and match figures of 25.4-8-66-4; not too shoddy on a relatively flat pitch.

Cowan finished unbeaten on an unusually fluent 77 off 110 balls and was joined by Matthew Wade, who made up for his first innings failure by ending up on 30 not out.

© Cricket World 2013

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Fifties For Hughes, Cowan And Smith at Hove

Fifties For Hughes, Cowan And Smith at HoveSteve Smith ended on 98 on day one at Hove. Action Images / Jason O'Brien Livepic

Australians 354-5 (Smith 98no) v
Sussex
Tour Match, Hove, day one

The Australians’ beleaguered batting line-up received a welcome boost ahead of next week’s third Ashes Test at Old Trafford. All of their top four made meaningful contributions and found the going relatively easy on another sunny day on the south coast.

Openers Ed Cowan and Phil Hughes overcame some early difficulties, in particular against in-form quick-bowler Chris Jordan, and added 150 in 35 overs. They undoubtedly benefited from a pitch that was on the edge of the square, a lightning-quick outfield scorched brown by the recent dry weather, and the absence of two of Sussex’s first choice attack. James Anyon was unavailable due to injury and was replaced by Twenty20 specialist Chris Liddle, while spearhead Steve Magoffin was rested.

Stand-in skipper Cowan was eventually dismissed by left-armer Lewis Hatchett, who found some swing and bowled impressively in only his 10th first-class match, for 66, with Hughes following suit a little later, caught by debutant wicket-keeper Callum Jackson, who is playing because of a finger injury to Ben Brown.

Usman Khawaja made 40 before becoming the first man to fall in a Monty Panesar double-strike. Panesar has endured a difficult season and has possibly been overtaken in England’s spin-bowling ranks by the likes of James Tredwell and Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan. However, he had Khawaja caught by Chris Jordan and then dismissed Matthew Wade for a duck in his next over.

That made it 218 for four and Sussex perhaps sensed a way back. Steve Smith, though, had other ideas and played fluently to end on 98 off only 155 balls. He added 131 with James Faulkner for the fifth-wicket before the all-rounder gave Panesar a third wicket when on 48.

The tourists had earlier given a debut to young Western Australian off-spinner Ashton Turner. Turner was called up the Australian squad for this match to make up the eleven after several members of the Ashes squad were rested. He is currently in England, where he has been playing club cricket in Sussex and training at the Ageas Bowl International Cricket Academy in Southampton.

© Cricket World 2013

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