MCC ease to 174-run victory

Rahul Dravid finished with 106 to set up a huge run chase for Nottinghamshire © Graham Morris Enlarge

MCC wrapped up a 174-run victory with a day to spare against Nottinghamshire despite a better second innings from the county champions who were eventually bowled out for 293 in Abu Dhabi. Paul Franks top-scored with 73 but they were never in the hunt for the target after the top order was blown away.

Rahul Dravid earlier became a useful quiz question for the future as he scored the first century of the English season. He was last-man out for 106 with MCC making 357 as Luke Fletcher claimed another four-wicket haul.

MCC soon made inroads into Nottinghamshire despite being without Steve Kirby following his match-ending foot injury. Hamid Hassan was again impressive removing Mark Wagh and Alex Hales in his opening spell, while Toby Roland-Jones also claimed a brace to leave the county side in tatters on 21 for 4.

Finally, though, they put up some resistance with four batsmen passing fifty. It started as Ali Brown (55) and Chris Read (51) added 111 for the fifth wicket until Roland-Jones returned to trap Read lbw. The end looked to be nigh when Gary Keedy struck in the following over to claim his first scalp of the game when Brown departed.

But Franks and Steve Mullaney (62) put bat to ball during an entertaining seventh-wicket stand of 129 which gave MCC's bowlers harder work. Keedy and Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan allrounder, were given lengthy spells to rest the quicks and it was Keedy who broke through to end Mullaney's effort.

Nabi then enjoyed some late success with the wickets of Fletcher and Brett Hutton before the final man, Franks, fell to the deserving Hassan as he completed a match haul of seven wickets.