Allrounder Kelly fined for dissent

ST JOHN’S: West Indies “A” all-rounder Richard Kelly was yesterday fined ten percent of his match-fee for showing dissent to the umpire after he was given out on Saturday during the first Test against England “A” at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG). Umpire Clancy Mack reported Kelly after he gestured to the standing umpire to suggest that the ball had struck his pad and not his bat when he was given out caught for 14 in his team’s first innings reply to England’s total 386. Mack had adjudged that the ball came off the bat and the catch was taken at slip by Rikki Clarke off the bowling of off-spinner Gareth Batty.

Kelly and Windies “A” team manager Derrick Nicholas attended a hearing with the match referee Hudson Knight before the start of the third day’s play. Meanwhile top-order batsman Owais Shah has become the third player from the England “A” team to be called up for the senior team tour of India as opener Marcus Trescothick returned home for personal reasons. Shah, who made 45 in the England “A” first innings total of 386 against West Indies “A” in the first unofficial “Test” being played at the Antigua Recreation Ground, joins opener Alastair Cook and fast bowler James Anderson as replacements for the India trip in the wake of injury and illness issues in the camp. Cook and Anderson were withdrawn from the final XI on Friday to cover for captain Michael Vaughan (knee), Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood (both back), and Simon Jones (stomach bug) ahead of the First Test starting in Nagpur on Wednesday.

David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, has confirmed that if Vaughan fails to make the Test, Andrew Flintoff will lead England for the first time. At teatime yesterday England “A”, ahead of West Indies “A” by 133 runs on first innings, were 176 for eight in their second innings on the third day of their first four-day “Test” match at the Antigua Recreation Ground. From an overnight 229 for seven, the West Indies reserves had added 24 runs to their first innings total and were bowled out for 253 half an hour after the start.

SCORES:
ENGLAND “A” 386 (Vikram Solanki 86, Chris Read 78, Gareth Batty 75 not out, Owais Shah 45, Alex Wharf 32, Michael Yardy 16; Richard Kelly 4-70, Dave Mohammed 4-109) and 176-8 (Jamie Dalrymple 53, Rikki Clarke 46; Richard Kelly 3-28, Marlon Samuels 2-20) vs WEST INDIES 253 for seven (Dale Richards 51, Sewnarine Chattergoon 45, Sylvester Joseph 36 not out, Dave Mohammed 28 not out, Lendl Simmons 14; Gareth Batty 4-62, Sajid Mahmood 2-30).