Hoggard puts England in command

13 April 2012

Matthew Hoggard provided another international-class display to set England on course for victory in their opening first class match of the tour against a Patron's XI.  

Hoggard stood out as the most outstanding bowler for the tourists at the start of the game when his five for 62 ensured the Patron's XI were dismissed for 237 to concede a 196-run first innings deficit.

And the Yorkshire seamer was responsible for three wickets falling before lunch.

Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles also claimed another victim as England's opponents struggled to reach 121 for five at the interval on the final day, still 75 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat.

Resuming 147 runs adrift on 49 for one, the Patron's XI's hopes of frustrating the tourists suffered an early setback.

Kamran Ali fell in the fifth over of the day and gave an indication of the athleticism which Hoggard possesses.

Pushing the ball onto the off-side, Ali set off for a quick single and failed to notice Hoggard swooping as he finished his delivery stride.

After being sent back by opener Navad Ashraf, Ali was unable to recover his ground before a direct hit removed his middle stump.

It was the early breakthrough England required if they were to clinch a timely lift in the run-in to the first Test at Lahore on November 15 and Hoggard continued to press his selection claims for that match.

He beat Ashraf several times outside the off-stump with late swing before finally claiming the edge and wicketkeeper Paul Nixon earned him a deserved wicket by taking the catch low to his right.

Hoggard should have secured a second victim in his next over, with captain Mohammad Wasim clipping off his legs to Michael Vaughan at short mid-wicket, but the chance was spilled.

Wasim lasted only two more deliveries, however, as he shuffled across his stumps only to be beaten by a pacy, full-length Hoggard delivery which rapped him on his pads. The Yorkshireman's appeal was successful.

Captain Graham Thorpe finally gave Hoggard a deserved break shortly before lunch after his nine over burst yielded figures of two for 37.

Thorpe then reverted to spinners Ian Salisbury and Giles, who struck in his second over to remove Salman Shah, caught down the leg side by Nixon.

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