Chairman's XI batsmen rip into Sri Lanka bowlers

CANBERRA (AFP) –

Glenn Maxwell, seen playing in the Champions League T20 last month, cracked 91

Hampshire cricketer Glenn Maxwell slams a 6 off the ball of Sialkot Stallions’ Rana Naveed in the qualifying stage of The Champions League T20 match at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on October 11. Scott Henry blasted an unbeaten 172 and Glenn Maxwell cracked 91 as a Chairman’s XI gave the touring Sri Lankans a tough initiation to their Australian tour in Canberra on Thursday.

Scott Henry blasted an unbeaten 172 and Glenn Maxwell cracked 91 as a Chairman’s XI gave the touring Sri Lankans a tough initiation to their Australian tour in Canberra on Thursday.

The invitational side amassed 390 for four off 90 overs to subject the Sri Lankans to a dispiriting hot day in the field chasing the ball.

In Sri Lanka’s only lead-up match to next week’s first of three Tests against Australia in Hobart there was little joy for a lame bowling attack.

With star spinner Rangana Herath, leading pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and vice-captain Angelo Mathews rested, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were pasted by the home batsmen.

Henry was prominent, reaching his 100 off 154 balls with a mix of cover drives, straight drives and two hook shots for six into the stands.

Henry, 23, who scored a pair of half-centuries for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield game against Victoria a fortnight ago, treated the visiting attack with contempt.

He offered only one chance — a difficult one on the boundary that slipped through the fielder’s fingers and tumbled over the rope for one of his 22 fours.

Maxwell came in after tea and threatened to score 100 in a session — but fell nine runs short after a dynamic knock.

Maxwell crashed 11 fours and two huge sixes in his 77-ball innings while putting on 125 runs with Henry.

But Maxwell threw a century away when he was bowled while charging fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep.

But while Henry and Maxwell were providing the batting fireworks, test aspirants Usman Khawaja (56) and Alex Doolan (6) disappointed.

Not only did the pair miss out to Phil Hughes on selection for Australia’s 12-man squad for next week’s Hobart Test opener, but they also threw away golden opportunities to keep themselves in the forefront of the selectors’ thinking.

Khawaja had a century beckoning and looked in tremendous touch before he found Mahela Jayawardene at short midwicket while trying to whip Chanaka Welegedara (1-76) through the leg side.

Doolan managed just six runs before becoming offspinner Suraj Randiv’s only victim of the day.

Randiv had a day to forget, with Khawaja and Maxwell both taking the long handle to the spinner, who finished with 1-121 off 23 overs.

The only bright spot for Sri Lanka was opening bowler Shaminda Eranga, who had 1-22 off 13 overs.