Cricket: Wells' campaign brings England some cheer

Alan Wells' England A team provided some welcome good news for the game in this country when they completed a four-wicket win over their Indian counterparts in Bangalore yesterday.

Mark Ramprakash, Glen Chapple and Richard Stemp were the leading lights in a victory which puts England A 1-0 up in their best-of-three "Test" series. Others like Jason Gallian, Nick Knight and Dominic Cork also played important roles.

India A began the fourth day on 83 for 7, and Lancashire's Chapple - who with Cork destroyed the top order the previous evening - soon made sure that England's victory target would be well short of the 150 they feared.

He removed the talented Amol Muzumdar for 51 to get rid of the last recognised batsman and then took his overall analysis to 5 for 32 by having Paras Mhambrey smartly taken at first slip.

The wicketkeeper Paul Nixon's quick thinking, after Rahesh Chauhan had inexplicably strayed from his crease, wrapped up the innings.

But 116 still took some getting on a fast deteriorating pitch, and it took a cool 36 not out from Ramprakash - batting again with the class he showed while making 99 first time around - to guide the A team through a mini-crisis at 89 for 6.

Wells, who with Knight and Gallian also made useful contributions, said: "The pitch was wearing hourly and it was not easy. But these players have fought and played disciplined cricket throughout and they deserved their victory. I'm proud of them.

"There is certainly no doubt in my mind that there are quite a number of guys on this trip who have got Test futures in front of them."

Phil Neale, the England manager, added: "There's a lot of cricket left yet on the tour but this is a tremendous start for us."

n Alec Stewart, the England vice-captain, has recovered from breaking his finger during the second Test in Melbourne and was named in David Gower's England XI to play an Australian XI in Sunbury, Victoria today.

Scoreboard, Sporting Digest, page 39, Australia win World Series, page 38