Graeme Hick stated his credentials for a Test place with an authoritative innings against the Sri Lankan board President's spinners at P.Saravanmuttu Stadium today. He scored 75 crucial runs having come to the crease with England in trouble in their second innings and ensured that they go into the final day of this practice game with an excellent chance of securing victory.

Graeme Hick Photo CricInfo

When Hick plays with the positive intent that he displayed today there are few better players of spin bowling. With an economy of movement he hit the ball with disconcerting power and regained the initiative from the Sri Lanka spinners, who had taken three wickets in the space of three overs to leave England teetering on 119 for five.

He signalled his intent from the beginning with a checked drive through extra cover off Dinuk Hettiarachchi and then a clean straight six off the off spin of Thilan Samaraweera. Unlike some of his colleagues, who rely heavily upon the sweep shot, Hick prefers to hit straight down the ground and is confident when using his feet. He hit ten fours and one six in his 112 ball innings.

"I am feeling really good at the moment and that was valuable time for me at the crease today," he said afterwards. "I thought I played well and was pleased with some of my shots as I had wanted to use my feet and hit down the ground.

"We now have one more match before the First Test Match and I will keep trying my best to score runs, as will Michael, and then it's up to the selectors. If he scores runs and England win then that's fine. Everyone is making a lot of it, but we just want to get out there, play our best, and help England win."

Hick was well supported by Craig White, who made runs for the second time in the match. The pair added 63 runs for the sixth wicket with White contributing 39 of them. Even more so than Hick, he was bold in his method and not afraid of lofting the ball over the infield.

Then, when White was caught on the mid-wicket boundary after top-edging a pull-sweep, Hick added a further 54 runs with Ashley Giles. He was eventually caught at cover trying to loft Test prospect, Dinuk Hettiarachchi, who finished with five wickets, over mid on.

Hick's runs allowed Nasser Hussain the luxury of declaring on 261 for nine, which left the President's XI with a stiff 326-run target. The England bowlers were given a 52-minute burst before the close of play in which Darren Gough grabbed three wickets in a hostile opening spell to leave the Sri Lankans on 20 for three.

On the grimly slow pitches here Gough has charged up to the wicket and bowled with great pace and fire. He has hurried the batsmen and shown that the fast men need not be resigned to a supportive role in Sri Lanka.

He trapped Jehan Mubrak lbw as the tall left-hander offered no stroke to a straight delivery and then clean bowled Michael Vandort with a brisk inswinging yorker in his first over. Then, he had Chaminda Mendis snapped up in the gully moments after unsettling the President's XI captain with a painful blow to the body.

Earlier in the day Michael Atherton had eased any concerns over his form with a fluent 47 from 80 balls. With Hussain being dismissed cheaply, Atherton added 60 runs with Graham Thorpe before he was adjudged to have been caught behind off the left arm spin of Hettiarachchi. The Surrey left-hander went on to score an industrious 40 before being trapped lbw by the same bowler.

Alec Stewart scored just 11 runs as he was stumped for the second time in the match and Michael Vaughan top-edged a sweep to short fine leg to register his second duck of the tour.

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