Atherton hits back as second-stringers keel over

Michael Atherton, who celebrated his temporary return to captaincy by winning the toss and batting all day for a chanceless 154, led England to 298 for three at the close on the first day of the four-day match.

He will resume Sunday with Graeme Hick, who is on 14.

But Australia's second best team, brimming with players desperate to catch the selectors' eyes, looked more like a hospital XI.

Offspinner Gavin Robertson suffered a back spasm at training and did not take the field.

Medium pacer Paul Reiffel retired with a groin strain after bowling nine balls. Michael Kasprowicz finished off his over.

This brought national selector and former Test captain Allan Border, who is coaching the second-string Australians, to the field as 13th man. Soon the venerable figure was scurrying towards the boundary in pursuit of an off drive.

However, before too many demands were made on Border's athleticism, Sam Fingas, a 17-year-old local grade cricketer, was given an unexpected chance to mingle with the elite.

The injuries placed great pressure on the surviving strike bowlers, Kasprowicz and Brendon Julian, who laboured without success.

Batsmen with varying degrees of bowling expertise were soon queueing up for their turn. It was one of these, Stuart Law, who made the initial breakthrough.

Mark Butcher looked solid until, on 25, he fell for a sucker ball. Law's first delivery of the match, a long hop, was pulled straight to Corey Richards at square leg.

John Crawley, the English batsman in greatest need of a confidence-building innings, did not enjoy one. His timing was astray and he survived a big lbw appeal and a dropped catch before he was given out, perhaps dubiously, caught behind off Greg Blewett for 27.

Mark Ramprakash, one tourist who is in form, and Atherton lifted the tempo either side of tea as Australian XI captain Darren Lehmann was forced to rely almost exclusively on his part-time bowlers.

Atherton's innings, even allowing for the unthreatening nature of the attack, was impressive. He was remorseless and supremely solid, while driving sweetly on the off side and pulling powerfully. He batted for 361 minutes and hit 18 fours.

However, he modestly said that given the benign state of the pitch and the ravaged Australian attack, it was hardly a fair contest between bat and ball.

Ramprakash looked as if he was enjoying himself, especially with a straight-driven six off Law.

He hit 65 before going for a ferocious pull off Michael Bevan and chopping into his stumps. Ramprakash and Atherton put on 139 in 142 minutes.

He had barely departed when the Australian plight became almost farcical. In the last half hour Kasprowicz took the new ball, but after three deliveries departed with a tight hamstring.

Blewett became a new ball bowler and immediately went very close to the edge of Atherton's bat.