ADELAIDE: Opening batsmen Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss hit centuries but rain thwarted England as their three-day tour game against South Australia ended in a draw at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Cook made an unbeaten 111 and Strauss smashed 102 off 121 balls to put the tourists in a position to declare their second innings at 240 for one early on the last day.
But England, building up to the opening Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane on November 25, only bowled 20.5 overs at South Australia before rain and bad light finished the match late in the day.
When stumps were drawn, South Australia were 48 for two with Dan Harris on 18 and Callum Ferguson not out 11 with 21 scheduled overs remaining. Cook and Strauss posted the fourth-highest opening stand by an England side at the Adelaide Oval with 181 runs.
Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook hold the ground record with a best opening partnership of 240 in 1946/47.
Strauss attacked the local bowling with gusto in the morning session smashing 13 fours and four sixes and raising his century by lofting left-arm spinner Aaron O’Brien for six over mid-on.
His whirlwind century came off just 118 balls before he was bowled three balls later by O’Brien attempting another big hit. Cook brought up his century off 152 balls with a pull shot for four off medium pacer Tim Lang.
