Lions frustrate Australia

Tourists held to draw in final Ashes warm-up

Last updated: 6th July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Lions frustrate Australia

Johnson: claimed two wickets on final day but was expensive

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Tour Match
New Road
Australia 358 (M E K Hussey 150, S M Katich 95, S J Harmison 4-80) & 438-4 dec (M J North 191 no, M J Clarke 80, M E K Hussey 62) v England Lions 352 (S C Moore 120, A U Rashid 66, J L Denly 66, S M Davies 53, B Lee 6-76) & 162-4
England Lions drew with Australia

Australia's final warm-up match before the start of the Ashes ended in a draw as the England Lions batted out the final two sessions at New Road.

The Lions closed on 162-4 in pursuit of a nominal victory target of 445 in 60 overs after Australia had declared their second innings at 438-4 at the lunch interval.

Ricky Ponting's closure denied Marcus North the opportunity to reach his double century, leaving the Western Australian left-hander stranded on 191.

The tourists resumed at 276-4 on the fourth morning, North and Michael Hussey making good progress before Hussey opted to retire on 62 to rest a sore ankle. The injury, however, is not believed to be serious.

Brad Haddin joined North in the middle and hit four boundaries in a quickfire 25 to see Australia through to lunch.

North, who had started the day on 106, finished with 191 not out - his 281-ball innings spanning just over six hours and featuring 23 fours and a six.

It is likely to be enough to earn North, who also bowls off-spin, the nod for the first Test in Cardiff, starting on July 8.

Johnson strikes

The Lions comfortably batted out the remainder of the day, although Mitchell Johnson (2-48) did remove Joe Denly and Stephen Moore during a fiery, but expensive, new-ball spell.

Moore (16), a first-innings centurion, edged to Ponting at second slip, while Denly - who reeled off a series of handsome drives to reach 36 - nicked through to wicketkeeper Haddin.

Lions skipper Ian Bell contributed 20 from 63 balls before flicking at a Nathan Hauritz (1-22) delivery and falling to smart catch at short-leg by Simon Katich.

The wicket was off-spinner Hauritz's solitary breakthrough of the entire match and, coupled with North's return to form, means he is set to be omitted in favour of a four-man seam attack in Cardiff.

Paceman Brett Lee (1-38) built on his first-innings haul of 6-76 by knocking out Vikram Solanki's (28) leg-stump with a swinging delivery.

Solanki's exit reduced the Lions to 115-4 but Eoin Morgan (28no) and Stephen Davies (18no) shared an unbroken 47-run alliance before the respective skipper's shook hands on a draw.

The game ended in bizarre fashion with umpire Jeff Evans needing treatment from a paramedic after tumbling to the floor but he was able to eventually walk from the outfield.