McGrath makes maiden century

Pakistan Cricket Board XI 301 and 67-4; England A 355

Anthony McGrath, the 20-year-old Yorkshire batsman, hit a maiden century against the Pakistan Cricket Board XI in Lahore yesterday.

Richard Stemp, his Yorkshire team-mate, was his partner in a last-wicket stand of 64 after McGrath, in only his seventh first-class game, had been on just 56 when the partnership began.

McGrath, 26 overnight, had reached 54 by lunch but when Dean Headley was bowled first ball to leave England A 291 for 9 he cut loose, driving Shoaib Aktar over extra cover for six and pulling and cutting him for several other boundaries.

With Stemp supporting stubbornly, McGrath worked his way steadily through the nineties and neither did he let a sore right knee bother him, despite the fact he was limping quite badly throughout the second half of his innings. He hit two sixes and 11 fours in a 301-ball effort that spanned almost five-and-a-half hours.

McGrath said: "To get my maiden hundred in England colours is a fantastic feeling. My knee has been troubling me on and off for about a year-and- a-half and I will have a scan done when I get home. It's not really a big problem, though."

(Third day of four; Pakistan CB XI won toss)

PAKISTAN CB XI - First Innings 301 (Saeed Azaz 117; D W Headley 5-68).

ENGLAND A - First Innings

(Overnight: 199 for 5)

A McGrath b Aamir Hanif 103

C White lbw b Fahad Khan 21

K J Piper c Iefikhar b Fahad Khan 14

I D K Salisbury c Aamir Hanif b Mubashir Nazeer 18

D W Headley b Mubashir Nazeer 0

R D Stemp not out 14

Extras (b5 lb7 nb10) 22

Total (119.5 overs) 355

Fall: 1-8 2-125 3-168 4-168 5-190 6-233 7-257 8-291 9-291.

Bowling: Shoaib Aktar 17-0-92-1; Mubashir Nazeer 20.5-7-51-4; Fahad Khan 37-4-111-3; Iefikhar 39.1-11-82-1; Wajahtullah 1-0-5-0; Aamir Hanif 4.5- 3-2-1.

PAKISTAN BOARD XI - Second innings

Javad Sami c Knight b Headley 3

Adil Nisar not out 29

Shadab Kabir c Knight b Headley 2

Saeed Azad b Stemp 21

*Aamir Hanif c Hussain b Salisbury 10

Extras (lb1, nb1) 2

Total (for 4, 24.2 overs) 67

Fall: 1-4, 2-6, 3-40, 4-67.

To bat: Wajahtullah, Majid Inayat, Shoaib Aktar, Fahad Khan, Iefikhar, Mubashir Nazeer.

Bowling: Headley 7-0-20-2; White 5-0-19-0; Stemp 7-3-12-1; Irani 2-1- 5-0; Salisbury 3.2-2-10-1.