BARODA, India, Feb 25 - England made 79 for two
at lunch in their second innings on the final day of a
three-day tour match against an Indian Board President's XI on
Saturday.
Matthew Hoggard (36) and Ian Bell (three) were at the
crease at the interval.
Trailing by 104 runs from the first innings, the visitors
were helped by a 64-run, second-wicket stand between skipper
Marcus Trescothick (32) and Hoggard after resuming at 10-1.
On Friday, the home team, boosted by Gautam Gambhir's 108,
declared their first innings on 342 for eight.
Fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff each took
three wickets to help England stage a late comeback.
This is England's only tour match before the first test in
Nagpur begins on Wednesday. Captain Michael Vaughan was rested
as a precautionary measure due to the recurrence of a knee
problem.
Trescothick took time to settle but played some pleasing
drives against the pacemen.
He played a characteristic back-foot punch through covers
for four off seamer Shib Shankar Paul and then struck
off-spinner Ramesh Powar to the boundary with a lofted drive.
But the stand-in skipper was bowled by Paul, missing the
line completely while attempting a drive.
Hoggard put up a gritty display, playing with caution
against Powar who operated with three men in catching
positions.
Hoggard, who struck three boundaries, had a reprieve on 24
when skipper Venugopala Rao dropped him at first slip off Paul.
England are aiming to win their first test series in India
since 1984-85.