Cricket: Flintoff provides platform

England A 350 & 288 President's XI 199 & 142-3

ENGLAND A can finish their tour of South Africa with another win, after resolute batting followed by a productive stint in the field yielded three vital wickets against the President's XI in Cape Town yesterday.

It was evident from the start of play that England intended to give themselves time in which to achieve a result. Andrew Flintoff, with a licence to attack, duly obliged. By mixing aggression with placement, he made it difficult to set a field.

Flintoff was out for 80 and England had set the President's XI 440 to win - a possibility which became even more unlikely when Steve Harmison took two early wickets.

Fourth day; England A won toss

ENGLAND A 350 - First Innings (*D L Maddy 135, A Flintoff 70)

PRESIDENT'S XI - First Innings 199 (C C Bradfield 61, *D N Crookes 52).

ENGLAND A - Second Innings

(Overnight: 142 for 4)

A Flintoff c Bruyns b Crookes 80

V S Solanki st Masikazana b Crookes 28

G P Swann c Townsend b Abrahams 6

C M W Read c Masikazana b Townsend 13

S D Thomas c Crookes b Townsend 14

D A Cosker b Smith 8

S J Harmison not out 21

Extras (b4 lb10 nb2) 16

Total (all out, 94.4 overs) 288

Fall: 1-0, 2-53, 3-105, 4-107, 5-203, 6-214, 7-233, 8-252, 9-265.

Bowling: Smith 21.4-3-73-2; Townsend 21-5-55-2; Kemp 9-2-17-1; Abrahams 23-5-58-2; Crookes 20-2-71-3.

PRESIDENT'S XI - Second Innings

M L Bruyns c Swann b Harmison 8

C C Bradfield c Solanki b Harmison 14

H H Dippenaar lbw b Cosker 10

M van Jaarsveld not out 72

F C Brooker not out 33

Extras (b1 lb2 w1 nb1) 5

Total (for 3, 51 overs) 142

Fall: 1-22, 2-25, 3-56.

To bat: *D N Crookes, J M Kemp, S Abrahams, L Masikazana, D H Townsend, G J Smith.

Bowling: Harmison 10-0-31-2; Thomas 9-3-30-0; Swann 8-2-19-0; Cosker 12-2-29-1; Flintoff 8-2-19-0; Solanki 4-0-11-0.

Umpires: D F Becker and R Brooks.