Batty in seventh heaven as England A take control
Gareth Batty took 7 for 23 to put England A in a seemingly impregnable position at the end of the second day of the three-day match against Antigua and Barbuda at St John's
Cricinfo staff
20-Feb-2006
England A 341 for 8 and 116 for 1 (Solanki 62*, Joyce 50) lead Antigua and Barbuda 157 (Richards 71, Batty 7-23) by 300 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Gareth Batty took 7 for 23 to put England A in a seemingly impregnable position at the end of the second day of the three-day match against Antigua and Barbuda at St John's. By the close England A had reached 116 for 1, a lead of 300.
England A declared on their overnight 341 for 8, and Austin Richards and Amwaa Prince, both local police officers, gave the home side an excellent start with a first-wicket stand of 101. But the introduction of Batty triggered a remarkable collapse in which all ten wickets fell for 56 in the afternoon session.
England A then reshuffled their batting order to give those who had missed out first time a chance to find some form. The move paid off as Ed Joyce and Vikram Solanki posted 108 for the first wicket, Joyce falling for 50 shortly before the close.