Ton-up Kabir has Essex on the run

11:18pm Thursday 10th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

KABIR Ali's unbeaten 100 led Worcestershire to victory over Essex in their pre-season friendly at the Ford County Ground in Chelmsford.

The match was nicely poised when the visitors succumbed to an incisive spell from Graham Napier, who exploited the seamer friendly conditions to grab three wickets before lunch.

The 28-year-old took two wickets in four balls as Worcestershire went to the interval on 103-7, with the bowler boasting an analysis of 8-4-8-3 at that stage.

However, Ben Smith and Kabir galvanised their side and gradually eased their way over the finishing line.

Smith relied on a studious approach while his partner punished the looser deliveries with abandon.

Essex will have been heartened by the form of Napier who spent time playing in New Zealand during the winter and extracted life and movement off the seam to the concern of a series of batsmen.

Resuming on their overnight 30-1, Worcestershire lost a wicket in the fourth over of the day when Daryl Mitchell drove at a ball from Maurice Chambers to give 18-year-old wicketkeeper Adam Wheater a catch.

Tony Palladino was another to impress in the morning session having Vikram Solanki caught at cover before moving the ball off the seam to pin Moeen Ali in front of his stumps.

Napier then made his favourable impression, knocking back the off stump of Steven Davies before moving the ball away from Gareth Batty to rattle his leg-stump before a spectacular dismissal saw Gareth Andrew's off-stump cart-wheeling out of the ground.

But the home side were unable to build on their supremacy as Worcestershire successfully addressed their early problems with a pragmatic application.

Smith reached his half-century from 112 deliveries that included 11 boundaries, while Kabir had raced to 41 from only 51 deliveries that embraced eight boundaries by the time the winning run was struck.

The visitors passed Essex's first-day total of 179 in the 51st over of their innings.

Worcestershire batted on, eventually reaching 299-9 with Kabir on 100 not out when bad light brought a halt to proceedings with just over an hour of scheduled play remaining.

Worcestershire: 299-9 dec (79.1 overs) Mitchell c Wheater b Chambers 30, Moore c Gallian b Palladino 1, Solanki c Flower b Palladino 32, Smith lbw b Phillips 64, Davies b Napier 1, M Ali lbw b Palladino 0, Batty b Napier 4, Andrew b Napier 0, K Ali not out 100, SP Jones c Napier b Phillips 34, RA Jones not out 6, Extras 27. Bowling: Palladino 23-8-56-3/Chambers 13-2-66-1/Napier 15.1-5-41-3/Roberts 9-2-34-0/Phillips 11-0-52-2/Middlebrook 8-0-32-0.

Essex: 179 all out