Key hits century to stake claim for second Test

Australia A 353-3 dec England 183 and 310-5 dec Match drawn

Robert Key yesterday gave England's bedraggled squad 174 reasons to break into a belated smile after a 10-day period they would rather forget. With good days on this England tour of Australia being as rare as an Aussie compliment, this was just the tonic they needed with only three days to go before the second Test in Adelaide.

By scoring a career-best 174 not out, and saving England's blushes in a game which appeared all but lost on Saturday evening, the Kent opener has given England's selectors plenty to think about before they pick their final XI on Thursday.

Talking about the prospect of playing against Australia, England's centurion said: "It is nice to give the selectors something to think about. I have had a chance and all I can do is score runs. Hopefully, it is a good dilemma that the selectors are in.

"I might get a chance at seven or if someone picks up an injury but I don't mind where I bat. In fact it has been refreshing to come in down the order."

For a player who owes his selection for this winter's Ashes tour to Graham Thorpe's last-minute withdrawal this match-saving innings was a superb effort. Batting in the unfamiliar position of No 4, Key showed several of his more experienced colleagues the sort of discipline and concentration required to score runs against this quality of bowling.

There is a pleasing carefree attitude to the way Key plays. Unlike many batsmen he does not appear weighed down by the search for a perfect technique. He simply gets out there and gets stuck in. During the two Tests he played against India over the summer pundits took no time in pulling apart his technique. But this lad can play. He is well organised and has a wonderful array of shots, most of which came out once he passed 100. The 23-year-old does not appear to be the sort to be intimidated by the opposition either. For most of the day he received a barracking from a section of the crowd as well as the odd word from a frustrated fast bowler. Neither had any effect.

One bowler, the New South Wales medium pacer Stuart Clark, seemed to take exception to Key and continually chipped away at him throughout his innings. This may have had something to do with the fact that he was the bowler when Key gave a sharp chance to leg-gully on 87, but rather than be dragged into a war of words the right-hander chose to reply with his bat and a smile which infuriated Clark even more.

It did the trick. After one little exchange Clark dragged the next ball down short of a length. Key on 96 latched on to it in a flash and savagely pulled him through midwicket for four. It brought up his first England century and knocked the wind out of Clark.

As well as Key's effort at the Bellerive Oval, England also owe John Crawley a huge debt of gratitude for enabling them to leave Hobart with a draw. The key to England's escape was an unbeaten fourth wicket partnership of 176 between these two. Batting together for more than four and a half hours, on a pitch that flattened out, the pair showed fight and application, characteristics that had been sadly lacking from England earlier in the game.

Crawley, who to many was fortunate to be selected on this tour, is starting to prove those doubters wrong every time he bats. Playing with patience and the straightest of bats he has batted for over 11 and a quarter hours in his last four innings without once being dismissed through his own shortcomings – the run-out in the second innings at Brisbane was not Crawley's fault.

For a player who is supposed to have technical frailties outside off stump he showed wonderful patience in only playing at balls when he had to. This innings, and his 43 not out on Saturday, may not have been crowd thrillers – but they were exactly what England needed.

Their partnership was only broken when the Hampshire batsman was forced to retire hurt at tea after edging a pull shot on to his right hip bone. Crawley was in a great deal of pain and struggling to run, but with England then on 250 for 3 the game had been saved. Thankfully for England the injury is only heavy bruising and he expects to be fit for the second Test on Thursday.

Crawley's failure to reappear after tea did, however, give Andrew Flintoff and then Craig White the chance to spend some quality time at the crease. Both of these all-rounders, who have so far done little on the tour to suggest they are automatic Test selections, failed to make the most of their opportunities.

After a lusty straight drive Flintoff hit a hard catch straight back to Nathan Hauritz, bowling his off-spin, before White was out when he carelessly cut a wide long-hop to backward point. This was the last of the action before both teams decided to shake hands and call it a day at 5.20pm.

Yesterday will not cover up the work that England need to do to pose Australia any sort of threat. In Brisbane they played well on the second day. Here in Hobart it was on the third. In Adelaide it has to be the first.

HOBART SCOREBOARD

Second and third days of three

England won toss

AUSTRALIA A First Innings 353-3 dec

ENGLAND First Innings (overnight 50-1)
M E Trescothick c Haddin b Williams 5
M A Butcher c Love b Clark 42
R W T Key c Hauritz b Noffke 36
J P Crawley not out 43
A Flintoff b Clark 1
C White c Clarke b Clark 4
J S Foster c Love b Noffke 7
A J Tudor lbw b Williams 12
R K J Dawson lbw b Williams 0
S J Harmison lbw b Williams 3
Extras (b 6, lb 9, w 3, nb 4) 22
Total (70.2 overs, 282min) 183

Fall (cont): 2-51 (Trescothick, 14.4 ov); 3-85 (Butcher, 25.5 ov); 4-108 (Key, 38.1 ov); 5-109 (Flintoff, 39.2 ov); 6-122 (White, 45.2 ov); 7-131 (Foster, 50.2 ov); 8-173 (Tudor, 66.5 ov); 9-179 (Dawson, 68.2 ov); 10-183 (Harmison, 70.2 ov).

Bowling: Williams 18.2-5-52-5 (1w); Clark 24-7-60-3 (1nb, 2w); Noffke 17-4-31-2 (3nb); Blewett 3-0-6-0; Hauritz 8-2-19-0.

ENGLAND Second innings (following on)
M E Trescothick b Noffke 11
M P Vaughan b Clark 14
M A Butcher c Haddin b Blewett 25
R W T Key not out 174
J P Crawley retd hurt 55
A Flintoff c & b Hauritz 15
C White c Williams b Hauritz 2
J S Foster not out 1
Extras (b8 lb1 nb4) 13
Total (for 5 dec, 128 overs) 310

Fall: 1-16 (Trescothick, 4.1 ov); 2-28 (Vaughan, 9.1 ov); 3-74 (Butcher, 24.1 ov); 4-291 (Flintoff, 111.5 ov); 5-299 (White, 119.5 ov).

Did not bat: R K J Dawson, A J Tudor, S J Harmison.

Bowling: Noffke 19-6-45-1; Clark 25-5-78-1; Williams 17-5-46-0; Blewett 11-5-17-1; Hauritz 40-14-75-2; Clarke 15-2-38-0; Maher 1-0-2-0.

Umpires: R L Parry and J H Smeaton.