Antigua collapse, England ‘A’ lead by 300
ANTIGUA: Gareth Batty took seven wickets as England ‘A’ took control of their match against Antigua and Barbuda on day two. The tourists, who declared on their overnight 341 for eight wickets, saw Austin Richards (71) and Anwar Prince put on 101. But off-spinner Batty dismissed both en route to claiming seven wickets for 23 runs as the home side collapsed spectacularly to 157 all out shortly after lunch, and after Richards (58) and Prince (25) raced to 88 for no wicket. Ed Joyce 50 and Vikram Solanki 62 not out, then put on 108 and although Joyce fell just before stumps, England ‘A’ finished on 116 for one wicket, exactly 300 runs in front. Captain Solanki and his colleagues will be delighted with their efforts in the field after the batsmen got their tour off to a flying start on Sunday. They looked set for a day of frustration when Richards and Prince started confidently against seamers James Anderson, Kabir Ali and Sajid Mahmood. But the home batsmen looked all at sea against spin as Batty and Alex Loudon ran through their line-up. Five wickets fell for three runs at one stage and England A’s slower bowlers will eye more pickings as they go in search of victory today. Summarised scores: ENGLAND ‘A’ 341 for eight and 116 for one — Ed Joyce 50, V Solanki 62 not out vs ANTIGUA & BARBUDA 157 — Austin Richards 71, Anwar Prince 38, G Batty 7/23.
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"Antigua collapse, England ‘A’ lead by 300"