Cricket: Hollioake shoulder injury could force England rethink
England 408 dec v West Indies A 156-3
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Your support makes all the difference.The rural idyll of Chedwin Park may be a long way from the cauldron of Sabina Park, but England will be well pleased with their efforts here, eventually declaring their first innings on 400 for 8. But if Nasser Hussain had good cause to remember this pretty ground with a marvellous 159, the day finished more uncertainly for Adam Hollioake, who dislocated his acromo- clavicular joint in his right shoulder diving in the covers.
The injury is not good news for England who will be hoping to use Hollioake as an all-rounder in the first Test. Any shoulder injury spells problems for a bowler and Hollioake will have to offer something with the ball if he is to be considered.
Unless he is fully recovered by Tuesday, England will probably have to rethink the balance of their side, and any chance Alec Stewart thought he had of keeping his wicket-keeping gloves hidden at the bottom is looking far less likely than it did a week ago.
The incident, which happened fifteen minutes before tea, looked harmless enough as Hollioake moved to stop a drive by Keith Semple off Angus Fraser.
"I dived to stop the ball and I felt a little pain," Hollioake said afterwards. "It was when I threw the ball back in that I knew something was wrong. Stewie [Alec Stewart] realised something was wrong and called the physio, Wayne Morton, who put it back in."
There is no doubt that Hollioake's injury took the gloss of what was proving to be a satisfying day. It is not often England force their opponents into a fifth session in the field and the achievement had much to do with Hussain's seven and a half hours at the crease on a faultless surface. A stay that was eventually ended when he was stumped by Ricky Hoyt trying to launch leg-spinner Rawl Lewis over the top.
If Hussain has a weakness when he is set, aside from the occasional bouts of bad technique that afflict every batsman, it is his running between the wickets, something Hollioake found to his cost.
Having put their side in a good position the previous day when England were struggling at 30 for 3, the West Indies A bowlers began to show their inexperience. Hollioake, a cricketer with brain as well as brawn, sensed this and he counter attacked from the outset, belting the strapping Nixon McLean - one of three young fast bowlers in the squad for Sabina Park for two thumping boundaries.
In many ways Hollioake reminds one of the buccaneers that used to inhabit this region three hundred years ago. There is the same bristling menace but the threat ended yesterday when he was run out 2 runs short of a deserving half-century after a mix-up with Hussain.
When England finally took the field, half an hour after lunch, it was the 32-year old Angus Fraser who found early success. Following Ashley Cowan into a stiff breeze, Fraser got one to bounce and leave the left- handed Wayvill Hinds.
At Montego Bay, Fraser had visibly struggled for rhythm. Here he was back to his old self, particularly when given the breeze which he used to produce a beauty to bowl Leon Garrick. Cowan bowled well without luck.
Once the opening salvo had been fired from England's pacemen, it was left to Phil Tufnell to operate into the breeze. He did a good job too, enticing the batsmen with his loop and he was unlucky to have an appeal for a catch at silly point against Roland Holder turned down.
Holder, who has played 8 Tests for the West Indies was comfortably the home side's best batsman though he was just beaten to his fifty by Keith Semple, who after a slow start, suddenly appeared to wake up after hooking Andy Caddick for a mighty 6, though he perished not long after, bowled as he tried to whip Tufnell through mid-wicket.
After their batsman reigned for a day and a half, England's bowlers have been made to toil hard for their wickets. But then as Atherton himself said after England's early set-back on the first day: "We need to be made to fight hard. It's the only proper preparation for Test matches there is."
Second day of four; West Indies A won toss
ENGLAND - First Innings
(Overnight: 293 for 4)
N Hussain st Hoyte b Lewis 159
A J Hollioake run out 48
R C Russell not out 32
A R Caddick c Collins b Lewis 5
A P Cowan b King 13
A R C Fraser not out 9
Extras (b2, lb17, w4, nb10) 33
Total (for 8 dec, 122.2 overs) 400
Fall (cont): 5-324, 6-346, 7-360, 8-368.
Did not bat: P C R Tufnell.
Bowling: McLean 23-4-86-1; King 21.2-3-84-3; Williams 20-4-46-0; Collins 20-5-62-0; Lewis 37-13-101-3; Hinds 1-0-2-0.
WEST INDIES - First Innings
L V Garrick b Fraser 26
W W Hinds c Russell b Fraser 12
K F Semple b Tufnell 54
*R I C Holder not out 57
R N Lewis not out 0
Extras (lb1 nb6) 7
Total: (for 3, 49 overs) 156
Fall: 1-21, 2-59, 3-154.
To bat: F L Reifer, R L Hoyte, L R Williams, N A M McLean, R D King, P Collins.
Bowling: Caddick 13-2-53-0; Cowan 12-5-30-0; Fraser 11-4-19-2; Tufnell 11-4-40-1; Thorpe 2-0-13-0.
Umpires: N Malcolm and T Wilson.
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