Starting this Thursday at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury a National Academy side bolstered by some experienced Test players (Hoggard, Key, Read) will take on Pakistan in what should be an interesting tour match. Fortunately it's a 4-day affair (and as far as I know with XI a side).

Teams:

England A Robert Key (capt), Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Owais Shah, Ravinder Bopara, Jamie Dalrymple, Alex Loudon, Chris Read (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Matthew Hoggard

Pakistanis (probable) Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif, Danish Kaneria

See http://www.ecb.co.uk/england/england...s,9016,EN.html

Also: http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvp...ry/252446.html

We have lost Cook. Hope he gets some runs in the 2nd innings.

A chance to perform against some quality opposition for some of our youngsters, Stuart Broad has been on fine form so far this season with some excellent performances in all forms of the game.

Rob Key is top-scorer so far with 15 runs to his name - his opening partner will be disappointed, hopefully Cook getting out early on in the innings won't be a common occurrence.

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James May

better to get out early in the tour game then score 200+ in the test match than the other way round, although obviously even better to score 200+ in both

Bell and Key making steady, if slow, progress, Pakistan bowling well though, honours even at lunch.

164/1 at present, Key on 67 and Bell motoring (all things are relative ) along on 74 at a strike rate of almost 0.5! Kaneria 11 overs for 53 so far.

Bell gone not short after your update Colly, Owais Shah at the crease with Key still on 67.

Come on Owais, get a big score.

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James May

Tea is currently being eaten by the players as England A have gone at a steady rate to rack up the score of 187-2.

Abdul Razzaq has either bowled the most negative line ever or is bowling with McGrath like accuracy. Only going at 1.3 per over and you just hope the latter is the truth.

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well 74 isn't good enough to warrant a test recall for Bell but still a fine effort. Key's innings is more interesting though, if we decide to go with the extra batsman then he's edged infront there, especially if he gets to 100. Shah going well too, looks like the pakistani bowlers are just warming themselves up though as i'd expect them to have done more damage if this was a real test. Still don't think kaneria is any better than monty or even giles, the only difference is pakistani captains know how to use spinners and he usually has a big total to work with so can take more chances to get his wickets, more pressure on the batsman etc.. I'm sure now that i've said that he'll rip through the A-team then proceed to win the first test single handedly and take 80 wickets in the series

ha, i'm good at this game, shah gets stuck on 20 for a year and then gets out to kaneria, Key gets his hundred though so all's good

Key looks like he's been at the pies again though, he lost a lot of weight last year but looks like he's put it back on and more, could just be the angle though i guess. Inzi's the only porker allowed to play international cricket these days, he gets away with it because he averages nearly 60.. Key will have to get back on the treadmill if he wants his place back in the team (shame as he's a good batsman, just no good in the field)

I'm expecting Rob Key to go off the field soon - probably a lack of pies injury that will need sorting.

I do agree though VF, it looks like he's piled it on in only one month. He won't be running any quick singles!

Key will get his just reward of batting for 90 overs now, stumps it is with England on 268-3.

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Watch this for a perfect about.
James May